When have you denied Christ, you will be surprised.Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! The Gospel of John Chapter 16 verse 32. This scripture tells us of the prophecy Jesus gave Peter. Of course Peter told Jesus that he would never deny him. But in fact he did deny knowing Jesus as he was being tortured. You might say that you would never do that.
In fact every time we do not live up to Christian principles we are denying Christ. We do so because as Christians we know when we are not living up to the standard put forth in the bible. None of us are perfect including me, but when we are out and about and hear or see a person(s) in need, and we choose not to help then we are denying ourselves of the teachings of Jesus.
Most of us remember the craze of the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do.") marketing campaign.However, WWJD was more than a marketing ploy, it is how we should live our lives. When we run across a situation that requires the intervention of a helping hand we should reach out to our brother or sister in need. To do otherwise would be an insult to Jesus and his teachings.
If we do not reach out and help those that God puts in our path then essentially we are no better than a person that does not know Christ. I can give you a perfect illustration of what I mean. A friend of mine was out with her family near Beale Air Force Base when they saw what appeared to be a homeless man standing at the next intersection holding a sign that read "I will accept anything you may offer.
My friend had very little money that they could offer the man, but what Cayla did was hand her two year old a banana and told him to hold it out the window. The baby did as asked and the homeless man took the banana from the toddler and politely said. "Thank you a banana is just what I needed." Then they drove away leaving a smiling middle aged man. That young baby will be reminded of that selfless act when he is a couple years older so he can comprehend what the act actually meant.
The world needs more Mother's like Cayla in this crazy world of ours. She did what Jesus would have done. When we see an opportunity to help someone, we should always try to offer something. Maybe all that person needs is a banana. But we will never know if we do not ask. Remember this. Do your actions throughout the day proclaim to the world that " I Am A Christian?" If it does not then we need to reevaluate ourselves and our commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am not stating that we can intercede in every needy person's life. That is simply not feasible. What I am implying is that you will know when to help because God will tell you. All you have to do is be in tune with God so we will receive the message. One of my favorite blocks of scripture is Matthew Chapter 25 verses 34 - 40 which say: "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
So I say to you, my brother's and sister's we should live our lives so that others will not have to ask if we are a Christian, because our deeds will announce to the world that "I Am A Christian." As men and women of God we should follow the words in Matthew Chapter 16 Verse 15: He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
My hope is that we can all go out every day and help spread the word of God to those that need it. May God keep and bless all of you.
Jeff Houdyshelt All rights reserved
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