Sometimes God drives home some points in the most obvious ways.  We have been moving through our study of James, seeing how we are called to put our faith into practice.  This week has provided several opportunities for me to do just that (though I should say that every week does that!).  Let me share a couple of those with you.

Wednesday night, you may remember, was a cold, rainy time.  My son’s basketball practice went a little later than usual, which ensured that my wife and the rest of the family would not be arriving at church until a few minutes after the service began.  That timing, though, was just right by God’s plan.  As my wife was arriving at the church, there was a man whose car had just run out of gas and he was pushing it into the driveway.  Aryn, my wife, invited him inside so that he could make any phone calls that he might need to.  While he was in the office, she came down to the prayer meeting to let me know about the situation.  Leaving the prayer meeting in capable hands, I stepped out to speak with the man and see what we could do to help him.  He explained that he had just been called into work on his evening off and not only did he not have enough gas to get there, he also would not have any money until he got paid the next day.  Thankfully, we had some gasoline in the garage that would get him up to the gas station, where I was able to fill up his tank.  He was surprised that I was willing to fill his tank, saying, “There really aren’t very many people today who are that nice to people they don’t know.”  We talked about how there are lots of people who try to take advantage of others, which causes many to be skeptical of anyone who comes to them asking for help, but how the Bible tells us that we are to help those who are in need.  That allowed me an opportunity to share with him the Gospel, about how Jesus meets the greatest need we have (which is more than our need for money or a tank of gas).  He was receptive, and I invited him to come back to hear more on Sunday as well as gave him my contact information.  Would he have been as receptive to what I needed to tell him if I had just said to him, “Go in peace, be warm and filled?” (Yes, the fitness of that verse was not lost on me!)  Probably not.

On Thursday, I was in the office after my normal hours when I received a phone call from a woman in Grand Rapids whose daughter and son-in-law, along with her grandchildren, were looking for housing in Battle Creek.  They had previously lost their home here and had to move in with her, but were now looking to return.  She was looking for any leads down here, reaching out to churches for help.  I could have just told her to dial 211 and be done with it, but I could tell by the lady’s voice that she’d heard that already (she had).  There were plenty of other things that were demanding my time at that moment (not the least of which was my sermon prep for this weekend), but this opportunity wasn’t going to come along again.  I helped her with some places to look in terms of potential housing, and then I offered to pray with her for her children and grandchildren.  I prayed for each member of the family by name – the mom, the dad, and the two little girls – after which the lady on the other end of the phone said she was going to tell her daughter and son-in-law that they needed to come to this church when they finally made it down here!  Of course, I let her know they would be welcomed here and hoped that we would see them.  After giving her my contact info (so she could keep me informed), she blessed the church, noting that she had not received this kind of response from others she reached out to – a refrain I’ve heard far too often over the phone. 

I don’t share these things to pat myself on the back, but rather to encourage you as you put your faith into action.  These opportunities are presented to us by God on a daily basis; do you recognize them when they come your way, and are you ready to be obedient to God’s call to put your faith into practice?  Just something to think about…