A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study.
The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice.
The young man couldn't help but wonder,
"Does God still speak to people?"After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie
and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how
God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the
young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray,
"God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen.
I will do my best to obey."As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest
thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud,
"God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But
again, the thought came to him, "buy a gallon of milk."The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize
the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case
that is you I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of
obedience. He could always use the milk.He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward
home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt an urge, "Turn down that
street." This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next
intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly,
he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will".He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop.
He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial
area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of
neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked
dark as if the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something.
"Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street."The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked as if the
people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to
open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane.
Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and
I will look stupid." Again, he felt as if he should go and give the milk.Finally, he opened the car door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to
the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a
crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for
something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here." He walked
across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside.
A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door
opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there
in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked as if he'd just gotten out of bed.He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to
have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust
out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the
milk and rushed down a hallway speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down
the hallway he saw a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was
following her holding a baby. The baby was crying.The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking
and half crying. "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and
we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby.
I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I asked Him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he
had on him and put it in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his
car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew then that God does
answer prayers...He also knew then that God does talk to people...
Our human race is in dire need of those who will heed His call, inevitably helping all of mankind...
The buck stops here...we need to take time to listen to God, and then we need to follow where He leads us...
Look for only the good in others, don't dwell on their failings...
"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)Godspeed everyone..."When the Son of Man comes in His glory, escorted by all the angels, then He will take His seat on His throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before Him and He will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you made Me welcome; naked and you clothed Me, sick and you visited Me, in prison and you came to see Me.' Then the virtuous will say to Him in reply, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You; or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and make You welcome; naked and clothe You; sick or in prison and go to see You?' And the King will answer, 'I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.' Next He will say to those on His left hand, 'Go away from Me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave Me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made Me welcome, naked and you never clothed Me, sick and in prison and you never visited Me.' Then it will be their turn to ask, 'Lord when did we see You hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to Your help?' Then He will answer, 'I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.' And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)
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