December 7 Love in Action 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
What seems like a lifetime ago, I was exposed to a lesson of Love in Action. There was a family, in our community, that was struggling financially, and, somehow, Mama found out about their plight and determined to do something about it. Being Mama, she went to the Mother of the family and asked what we could do to help with their situation. The Mother was resistant to the help that was being offered and she was unwilling to admit any needs, at all. Well, Miss Barbara acted as if the Mother had not spoken a word, and pressed her, with Mama’s own brand of Love and compassion, until the Mother relented and admitted their condition and shared their needs. The Father was a soldier and he was deployed overseas, she had recently lost her job and times were hard. Now, the issue for me was that their son was a classmate of mine. Mama told me that their business and their issues were to remain a secret form anyone else. How was I going to talk to this boy and how was he going to feel, knowing that I know the real deal with his family? Of Course, Mama’s instructions were clear…”Do not make him feel bad! Do not embarrass him!” The reality of our life was that we were not “Flush with Cash,” and really didn’t have an abundance of resources to assist anyone, much less, the needs of this particular family. As we gathered around the table, just before we ate, Daddy prayed that God would supply our every need and would supply the needs of this family! This was Mama’s Call to Action! How were we going to make Christmas special for this family? That night, at the table, we decided that we were going to cut back on our own traditional Christmas celebrations and we would share with this family. Wait! What? Oh no, I am going to get less? Boy, oh Boy, reality of Love in Action became real, really quick! So, helping others comes with a cost? I was all about helping until I realized that I was going to be giving up so of my own Christmas. Here we go…Daddy noticed a change in my enthusiasm and he pulled me aside for one of his “Let’s Talk” times. He told me that being a friend will always have a cost, and that I should know that true joy comes when we freely give to each other, with the attitude of God’s Love and being obedient to His Calling. Truthfully, I had avoided the son, while we were at school, but now, I began to talk to him and I listened to find out what he wanted for Christmas, without him realizing what I was doing. Guess What? He wanted the same thing that I wanted…a “MAN FROM UNCLE BRIEFCASE!” I had a Heart to Heart with Mama and Daddy and I decided that I was going to raise the money to buy the briefcase for my new friend! So, I set out to make the necessary monies to purchase the present. I scoured Hwy 111 for drink bottles, I raked leaves, I hauled trash and I cleaned the storage room for Mr. Creech, at the local country store, and I almost had enough to buy the Briefcase. The work to raise money was ok, however, when I broke into my “Piggy Bank” to finish out the necessary monies needed: well, that really hurt! Mama brought me to Goldsboro and I bought the Briefcase. I felt a sense of satisfaction when I saw the clerk wrapping this present for my new friend. Mama cooked so much food and we had gathered special things for the family, and my new friend’s present and we delivered them on Christmas Eve. No one ever knew about this Love in Action, except us and this family! Many years later, I encountered this young man, that I had worked to buy the Briefcase for, and as we talked, he asked why we had chosen to help his family. I told him that it was God’s Love in Action. God opened the door and I had an opportunity to share a gift much greater and more durable than a briefcase. I shared the message of Christ and the Gift of Salvation. This young man, right there on the sidewalk, received the greatest gift of all and claimed Jesus as Savior. Who would have thought, that years later, I would have the privilege, to once again, give my new friend another gift, the gift of Salvation!! Thank you Mama for showing me the Love of God in Action and Thank you God for Your Love, Your Gift and Your Message of LOVE IN ACTION!!! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!