Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: I’ve had a troubled life but have also known great happiness because of people in my church who have reached out to me in the Name of Jesus. They’ve shown compassion and given me sound advice, pointing me to Scriptures that give me assurance of God’s love and hope that He will be with me. I don’t have a home to extend hospitality to others. I don’t have disposable income to shower others with things that give a flavor to life, but are there ways I can show mercy to others around me, though I may not be able to feed them? – S.M.

Dear S.M.: We don’t have to look far to see the needs of others. Often it can be people who live in the same house, but we’re too busy to notice. Or perhaps there is a neighbor across the street who may be lonely and need a friend to spend time with; we are called by God to bring the water of life for both soul and body. How wonderful when we can simply visit with someone and open God’s Word and share with them hope in Christ. There are many lonely people who never know the handclasp of a friend. They never receive a letter. They sit isolated in their loneliness. Many are in neighborhood nursing homes.
Mathematicians can solve problems on paper, but can they solve their personal problems? The orthopedic surgeon can set broken bones, but what can he or she do for a broken heart? The engineer can read the blueprints, but where is the blueprint for daily living? People do not have to have money to reach out to others in mercy and love.
There are a thousand little ways that we can be merciful in our daily lives. We are accountable to God for the way we use our time.
————
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)