Discipleship
"We have been given the privilege to host this presence. The Holy Spirit is in me for my sake but he is upon me for yours." — Bill Johnson
I sat in the drive thru line up at Starbucks. It was just like any other Wednesday except it wasn't. As I waited in line for my turn at the drive thru I looked up hearing a commotion coming from the car in front of me. I saw a middle-aged woman dressed in ragged clothing with tears streaming down her face, pleading with the driver: "I haven't eaten in days and my boyfriend kicked me out. I just need to eat."
As I watched the woman in the car in front of me ignore her, the woman walked back over to the building and leaned up against the wall and continued to cry, head sunk down and abandoned of any hope. I called to her and motioned for her to come over. I reached into my wallet, took out some cash, and handed it to her. She thanked me and quickly walked away to go get some food.
As I sat there that morning I thought of Peter and John walking to the Temple when they encountered the crippled beggar. "But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." I found myself wondering: what could she have really needed that morning? What would her day have looked like if she had just met Jesus in the drive thru?
The Father's goal for the lives of His sons and daughters is nothing less than an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ to the world around them. What if the only encounter with Jesus a person ever has is the one they have through you and me? Are we prepared for that moment?
When we fully comprehend the price that Jesus paid to have His Body broken, there can be nothing less than a realization of the full and complete power of the Cross releasing heaven on earth in our lives and into our communities. Be aware that at any given moment, God may want to extend His life through you to a lost and dying world that is without hope and living in despair.