Clueless / Blind or Both?

During a recent day of volunteering at my local food bank, it dawned on me that most of the cars zooming up and down the road out front carried folks in them that didn't have a clue. They know hardly anyone in town, don't work in town, don't shop in town or even buy their gas in town. They drive by the building and couldn't come close to making a guess about what takes place inside...

Our small town is about five or six blocks long and the same width. It is in a rural part of the county and there are approximately 1700 people living in the town and surrounding area.

The building is old (about eighty years) and was once a school house. Now it houses several services that benefit local citizens. It contains the a branch library, a thrift store and the food bank. There is quite the group of hard working brothers and sisters that come together twice a week and help supply the unfortunate. The entire operation is staffed by volunteers. 

We must care for those less fortunate than ourselves. Proverbs 21:13 says: 

"Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard"    

When I started working at the food bank, I was shocked. I too didn't have a clue that there were so many disadvantaged in our small town. As with those passersby, I was too busy to see the need. Every day that the food bank is open, we serve about sixty to seventy five persons. If we counted family members, that number would be much higher (the average family size is three to five persons). As the Apostle John said in 1 John 3:17-19:

"But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him."

As you go through life, take the time to look around your town and find the opportunities to help those who are in greater need than yourself. Root them out and offer a smile, a kind hand, warm clothing or a meal. Remember, as Acts 20:35 says:

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Are you clueless or just blind?

Let's make a deal?

What does this title line bring to mind? Could it be cool gifts, games of chance, maybe even the possibility of winning a brand new car by trading something you own for it.  All it takes to win is something to trade, being in the right place and a little bit (or a bunch) of luck.

I would like to say that is not the type of deal I meant. I want to explore the deal that God has in mind for us. He is not sitting up in heaven saying "Let's make a deal." What he is really saying is more like "This is the deal, the only deal."  What is that deal? He wants each of us to accept the gift of eternal salvation that was earned  by Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.

           “… God our Savior, who desires ALL MEN to be 

          saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 

                                      (1 Timothy 2:4)

His plan is the only way to achieve salvation. It can't be earned, bought or traded for.

           “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no
           other name under heaven given among men by 
           which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

          “For there is one God and one Mediator between God
          and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as 
          ransom for all …” (1 Timothy 2:5)

        “There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one
          baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and
          through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:4)

         Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one
         comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

         “… whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
          life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
         Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
         everlasting life.” (John 3:15-16)

There are many other verses that repeat this theme but these five verses say it all.I don’t think God the Father could have made things any clearer than the way He worded these scripture verses!

 As pointed out in Pentecostal Doctrine (pg. 46), "New life begins with salvation. Before salvation, a person is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). There is no Spirit-filled life (Foundational Truth 2) before salvation. Divine Healing (Foundational Truth 3) is God's provision for His followers. Finally, there is no glorious future of seeing Jesus face to face (Foundational Truth 4) and living with Him throughout eternity without experiencing God's free offer of salvation."

That Is the deal...  All you have to do is accept it.