WHAT DOES IT PROFIT?
One day a wealthy gentleman was heading home in his limousine when he noticed a shabbily dressed man eating grass beside the road. Bewildered, he ordered his chauffeur to pull over, then got out to investigate. He asked the man, "Why are you eating grass?" "No choice”, the destitute man replied. “I have no money for food."
"If that is the case, you are welcome to come home with me. There you will find plenty to eat.”
"But I also have a wife, two children, and a brother, all of which are hungry. They are over there, under that tree."
"Do they eat grass, as well?” the rich man asked. “Unfortunately, yes”, came the despondent reply.
“Alright”, said the rich man. “You may bring them, as well."
A few minutes later, they were all seated in the huge limo, looking forward to their first good meal in months. The man who had been eating grass earlier turned to his affluent benefactor and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking us home in order to feed us."
The man replied, “Think nothing of it. In fact, you’ll be doing me a favor. Our yard keeper has been ill for weeks, so our grass is nearly a foot high. There's plenty for all of you!”
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Though the aforementioned story is fictional, it illustrates a common tendency, even among Christians. Although we may not want to see others suffer from lack or “go without”, it is tempting to “wish them well”, without actually helping. Even worse, we may offer assurances such as, “Just call if you need anything”, or “I’ll be over to give you a hand”, yet never follow through.
Someone has observed, “It is better to say, ‘I just don’t care’, than to say, ‘I do care’, then just do nothing.
James put it this way, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (Jam. 2:15-16) Moreover, God instructs us, “…let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Anyone can say, “I’ll be happy to help!” But it is the godly that show up.
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
One day a wealthy gentleman was heading home in his limousine when he noticed a shabbily dressed man eating grass beside the road. Bewildered, he ordered his chauffeur to pull over, then got out to investigate. He asked the man, "Why are you eating grass?" "No choice”, the destitute man replied. “I have no money for food."
"If that is the case, you are welcome to come home with me. There you will find plenty to eat.”
"But I also have a wife, two children, and a brother, all of which are hungry. They are over there, under that tree."
"Do they eat grass, as well?” the rich man asked. “Unfortunately, yes”, came the despondent reply.
“Alright”, said the rich man. “You may bring them, as well."
A few minutes later, they were all seated in the huge limo, looking forward to their first good meal in months. The man who had been eating grass earlier turned to his affluent benefactor and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking us home in order to feed us."
The man replied, “Think nothing of it. In fact, you’ll be doing me a favor. Our yard keeper has been ill for weeks, so our grass is nearly a foot high. There's plenty for all of you!”
*************************************************************************************
Though the aforementioned story is fictional, it illustrates a common tendency, even among Christians. Although we may not want to see others suffer from lack or “go without”, it is tempting to “wish them well”, without actually helping. Even worse, we may offer assurances such as, “Just call if you need anything”, or “I’ll be over to give you a hand”, yet never follow through.
Someone has observed, “It is better to say, ‘I just don’t care’, than to say, ‘I do care’, then just do nothing.
James put it this way, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (Jam. 2:15-16) Moreover, God instructs us, “…let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Anyone can say, “I’ll be happy to help!” But it is the godly that show up.
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
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