Something pretty special happened to me yesterday evening. But before I tell you about it, I have to tell you a little about the day preceding it.
Some of you read the story I posted a week ago. This past week has been a blur, between my aircraft training and all the communications I have enjoyed with so many of you. That my story resonated so widely is a testimony to the Holy Spirit’s work on so many of our hearts. I was awed by the groundswell of shared hearts, and through this experience I have made some new friends who have blessed me back.
Via this modern miracle of social media, God placed me in a cafe Wednesday morning with my new brother Eric Camarillo of SALT Outreach. I cannot tell you how excited I was to hear how God is moving with him and his staff to minister to the poor in Orlando.
So yesterday, the woman from my story last week joined me as I drove north to worship at the church where my dear friends Nathan and Janel Tasker are members. We received a warm and hearty welcome, and enjoyed a dynamite Bible study and positive worship service. Afterwards there was food, then a lengthy discussion back at Tasker’s house about God, good and evil, suffering, cosmic dilemmas, and so on. The discussion was real, raw, and robust. Pray that our Father will work from that.
Finally it was time to return to the city, and as we said our goodbyes, Janel insisted on handing us a few snacks for the evening road—a couple apples and snack bars. Gratefully we got underway, but becoming rapidly absorbed in conversation, the snacks went unheeded.
Until Orlando. Exiting off I-4, we pulled up to the stoplight under the overpass and waited our turn.
From the left-most turn lane where I waited for the green arrow, I glanced left and saw a man sitting on a bucket just a few feet away up on the curb. He was probably around my age, African American, and obviously waiting for contributions. He nodded at me and smiled, and as I smiled and nodded back, something inside me gave way. I felt that I had to connect with this child of God.
Quickly rolling down the window, I held the apple out and said, “Sorry man, I have zero cash on me (which was completely true!), but will you take an apple?” He flashed the widest, warmest grin and took it with thanks.
“God bless you, brother!” I said, and he thanked me. Then we realized—those snack bars! I called him back and asked if he would take them. He thanked me as he took them. The light turned, and as I glanced in my mirror I saw him chomping into the apple.
And something about that image—the freeze-frame in my mind’s eye of him biting into that apple—sent such a delightful joy throughout my soul.
And it struck me: we don’t have to solve all the world’s problems. We don’t have to solve all of any one person’s problems. We may give money, we may give time, maybe a hug, maybe just an apple. It’s not the size of the gift that matters.
What matters is that we listen to the Spirit’s prompting, and when He places someone in our way to love for Jesus, we just have to obey. .
What will it cost us? Will they take advantage of us? Will they misuse our gift? We don’t know! Does it really matter? No. What matters is that we obey. If it’s small, obey. If it’s costly, obey.
After all, if God’s Spirit tells us to give, is it any of our business what the person does with it? I don’t advocate recklessness or enabling addiction, but if I’m listening to the Holy Spirit that’s on Him. I don’t have to own that. He knows and will craft His perfect plan. Which leads me to this: I believe the affluent western church has spent a lot of time trying to make judgment calls about who are “deserving” poor, or “worthy” poor, instead of just ministering TO the poor like Jesus did.
Listen to this passage:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released to and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” Isaiah 61:1,2 NLT
Jesus used this passage to describe His own calling. In fact, that was a prophecy about Him! In other words, BY DEFINITION the ministry of Jesus was to the poor. It was not just a part of it, but rather a defining characteristic of it! And here I find myself challenged. Will I make Jesus’ calling my own? Will I just shut up my fearful doubts and obey His Spirit? Will I, or will my own way and pride set my course instead?
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Brian Scarbrough
