Ride ‘Em Cowboy!

Written by cycleguy on November 9th, 2010

I have to admit to being a little proud.  I was born in America-the land of the free and the home of the brave.   Some may find that annoying to say…that is your opinion.  It stinks but it is your opinion.  😛  Being born and raised in America I have been blessed beyond my ability to express it.  Even when my father was laid off for several years as I was growing up, we still had plenty.  I was joking with a man the other day as we talked over lunch about the old government surplus food we used to eat.  Soup beans out the yazoo (there is a reason I don’t care for them to this day).  Peanut butter that didn’t just stick to the knife and your ribs but it you put too much in your mouth it glued it shut.  🙂  Stick the knife in the can of peanut butter and you could pick up the whole can.  But we lacked for nothing.  Sure, we did without but everything we ever needed was  taken care of.

Time Travel with me please back to another time, another place. This was possibly 6000 years ago.  The prophet Elijah is told by God to visit the widow of Zarephath and she would feed him.  But when he gets there the widow is down to her last meal with enough oil and and flour to fix one last cake of bread.

Elijah: “Bring me (he forgot to say please) some water to drink.  Oh, and while you are at it, bring me some bread.”

Widow: “Take a hike buddy.  I don’t know you and I certainly am not going to share my last meal with a perfect stranger.”

FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS:

Woman:  “That guy keeps coming around.  He is a pest.  Why do we have to keep feeding him?  He’s like a cat that gets fed then thinks he must always be fed.”

Elisha:  “Hello the house!  How are you today?”

Woman: “Fine!”  (why did he have to come by again?)  “We have even fixed a room for you this time” (but I sure hope you don’t want to stay here).

FAST FORWARD A LOT OF YEARS:

Jesus: “Give me a drink (I think He said please).”

Woman: “You?  Asking me for a drink?  That is out of my comfort zone to be honest.”

Jesus: “I can give you so much more than just water.  This water lasts for a little while then you will be thirsty again.  I can give you something that will last forever.”

Woman: “I want that.  Please give it to me.”

Obviously, I took poetic license with all three of these stories.  The first two to show the improbability of that happening.  The latter to show how it is supposed to happen.  For the real story you will find the first in I Kings 17; the second in 2 Kings 4; and the third in John 4.  As you might imagine I exaggerated on purpose to make a point.  The 12th chapter of The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns is entitled The Four Men of the Apocalypse (hence the title for the blog). Those four men are Hunger, Thirst, Sickness and Destitute (next week).   I decided to approach this chapter this way because of wanting to tell a familiar story in a different way.  These quotes should rattle your cage:

He who is dying of hunger must be fed rather than taught.  -Saint Thomas Aquinas

Water is life, and because we have no water, life is miserable.- a voice from Kenya

The writer, James, wrote, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?'” Indeed, what good is that?   That would be like  the woman telling Elijah to take a hike; or the Shunammite woman telling Elisha to keep on moving; or for Jesus to let the woman at the well keep on thirsting and live a miserable life.  Two words stand right out to me…words that have crept up throughout this whole discussion among the several bloggers.  The two words?  PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT.  No more on the sidelines.  No more turning away from someone’s need.

What about you?  What do you find yourself doing?  How are you meeting the needs of someone else who might be hungry, thirsty or sick?  I would like to hear your answers and your thoughts. By the way: did I tell you that Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son (she had been barren) from the dead?  I hope this doesn’t sound sacrilegious but how is that for “paying it forward?”

This blog is part of the book discussion on The Hole in Our Gospel that is being hosted by Jason and Sarah.  If you would like to connect with more bloggers about this post, check out Sarah’s blog for others.

 

21 Comments so far ↓

  1. Bill, I went to Sarah’s blog and read “uncool” and could not stop the tears. What a beautiful gem, humble with a beautiful heart for Jesus. I shared her post on my FB page-thank you for introducing the world to such a beauty. Thank you for your ministry to others.

  2. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    I will sometimes buy the coffee or Iced Cappachino if I know that someone has a limited income. Sometimes I will buy them lunch.

    I do think that we need to be aware of what is happening in the lives of believers that we are in contact with. Helping one another is important but I don’t think it’s the main focus of Christianity.
    I think that the main focus of Christianity is following Jesus, being obedient to and worshipping God. Giving him glory and honor through our lives.
    In this way we position ourselves to be a delight to God. He hears and answeres our prayers, he meets our needs, he heals and delivers, he provides, he fights our enemies, he lifts us up, he strengthens us, he protects us, he guides and leads us, he gives wisdom and understanding and knowledge to us, he renews our minds, he gives us miraculous abilities, he gives spiritual gifts, etc. etc.

    • cycleguy says:

      Linda: I definitely agree that our main focus is to love and honor God in all we say and do. For some, that honor also comes in service to others. Thanks for the comment.

  3. Kim says:

    I don’t do nearly enough. That has been eating at me lately.

    But I did donate to help provide a couple mosquito nets the other day. And I am donating food to help feed some local families. Can we ever really do enough? That’s a tough one.

    • cycleguy says:

      Kim: Each of us has our own way of ministering and I hope I haven’t given the idea that it is all about the hungry, thirsty and sick. I also don’t want to give the idea that it is all about the “do.” If so we then get into the merry-go-round of “can we do enough?” Sometimes it is buying mosquito nets or for those with limited income…say just being there to listen. Your heart is in the right place. I like that.

      • Kim says:

        That is so right. Thank you for steering me back onto the path. I sometimes get so frustrated with my limited ability to do and give it overshadows the things I can give freely no matter what. Love, understanding, compassion, and sharing my love for God.

        Thanks Bill!

  4. Michael says:

    I concur about Sarah’s post. It was way good. I’ve shared before that April, Ethan, and I like to drive around Midland passing out sack lunches to the homeless. It’s been a few weeks since we have done it. Thanks for the gut check.

  5. jeff says:

    I think Sarah is right on the issue of poverty. It is COMPLICATED. Each person in that spider web is different. There are similar needs the greatest of which are food, shelter, transportation and health. Most are incapable of navigating the Middle-class values they do not understand to try to satisfy those needs. This requires help from someone who does understand these values.
    Can we do enough? Sometimes a small thing is enough and sometimes there is never enough. The better question is… Are we doing anything?
    I think the passing out of lunches is being obedient, is following Jesus, and is worshipping God. In a real and meaningful way.

    • cycleguy says:

      Jeff: you make a great point. It is not are we doing enough but are we doing anything? That is what I was trying to say to Kim. I also concur with what you say about the lunches. Thanks for the comment.

    • Kim says:

      Thank you for the push forward fellas! I do have a tendency to let the size of things stop me in my tracks when I need to keep moving forward. Good stuff!

      • cycleguy says:

        I can’t speak for Jeff but you’re welcome kim. we all need nudges from time to time. 🙂 You are already heading in the right direction…just needed some steering. 🙂

  6. The Gospel is simple…I make it so difficult…Lord forgive me. Good post and wonderful conversation. Bless you all.

  7. I have been guilty of throwing money and food at people (not literally!) without taking note of the individual.

    I am under conviction that I need to slow down enough to become involved with people… That does not excuse me from meeting their “simple” needs of hunger, shelter, medicine, etc… but it demands that I go further to participate in a loving relationship with them…

    Not because of who I am, but because of who God is within me.

    • cycleguy says:

      Dusty: it is easier to stay disconnected by long-distance giving than getting personally involved. Let us know what God places in front of you.

  8. jasonS says:

    Excellent post. The Gospel is simple though the problems are complex. Our response to His love and good news are equally simple, but they require heavenly involvement and relationship throughout the process. Thank you, Bill.

  9. Jim F. says:

    I have been apart of churches that just threw either money or food at the problem and really did not try to make a difference but just tried to ease their minds.

    We have begun collecting on Wednesday nights an offering to buy Mequito Nets and Clean Water for families in Africa. Just a small way we as a fellowship of believers are trying to make a difference in the world.