I just received a phone call from a friend offering me something for free. Then I saw the story on the front page of the April 2018 edition of “Have a Good Day,” published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: “A Life-Saving Act of Kindness” which is also on the Internet at: https://globalnews.ca/news/3902002/pickering-tim-hortons-act-of-kindness/. For those who don’t have access to the Internet, I will summarize the story: For years, Glen Oliver of Pickering, Ontario has paid for the drive-thru order of the person in the car behind him atTim Hortons. Little did he know that one day his acts of kindness would have a life-changing impact on someone.
In July 2017, Glen paid for the order of a person who was in a dark place and planned to end their life. Glen was “blown away” when he learned that his gesture had such a profound impact on someone that they wrote an anonymous letter to a local newspaper explaining that Glen’s act of kindness caused them to change their mind about ending their life. As Easter is approaching quickly, I am reminded of the ultimate life-changing event: when Jesus willingly died on the cross for our sins.
A man whose name is synonymous with doubt in the Bible is Thomas. In his book “People Just Like Us,” J. Oswald Sanders examines what Thomas was like: “The picture of Thomas in Scripture is of a typical melancholic: he found it desperately easy to look on the dark side of things and conjure up difficulties. Thomas’s nature was set in a minor key. He inclined to view a gloomy possibility as a certainty. The trust and optimistic outlook of the child was absent from his makeup.”
Last weekend, Karen and I had the joy of watching more than thirty children participate in the Children’s Missions conference at Grace Church in Verdun. To see their delight in watching puppets and listening to Wanda Mellette tell a true story about missionaries in Colombia was heartwarming. It is also encouraging to see the transformation that took place in the life of Thomas. Sanders writes: “In sublime condescension, the Lord of glory met the obstinate and gloomy Thomas on his own basis. Once again the disciples were gathered in the upper room … In an awed hush, Jesus singled out the absentee.
It is a moving fact that the two disciples whom the Lord favored with special attention after His resurrection were the greatest denier and the greatest doubter. He specialized in mending broken reeds and in fanning dimly burning wicks into flame.”
Have you been discouraged lately? Remember that the sun is always shining above the clouds and the Son is always waiting for you to turn to Him for help.
Scripture for the weekend: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” 1 John 3:16 (NIV)
Steve