ARE YOU JESUS?
(Author Unknown – Sent to Pastor Jones by his good friend, Pastor George Ryan – Now Deceased)
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of baskets of apples.
Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping, or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding – ALL BUT ONE. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets and helped set up the display once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; the he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $20.00 for the damage we did. Are you okay?”
She nodded through her tears. He continued on with “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister…” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, “Are you Jesus?”
He stopped in mid-stride and wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?’
Do people mistake you for Jesus? That’s our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. IT is actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. End of quote.
Final question: “Whose apples have you knocked over and how did you handle it?” Or, maybe someone else knocked them over. What did you do about it? Jesus said, “In that you have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). Are we rushing through life at such a hectic pace that we do not have time, first of all to be careful, and second, to have time to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate that we. And, this kind of caring should not be something we do during the holiday season. This should be a way of life for us. After all, the world is looking to see JESUS manifested in those who say they are His followers.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Just Think About It!
The best vitamin for a Christian is B1.
Tithe if you love Jesus. Anyone can honk!
Don’t give up. Moses was once a basket case.
Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.
Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive.