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Time and Relationship are two of the biggest tests of our faith... "Lord, please connect me today with the people you want me to touch, bringing your love and mercy to those who really need you right now." We're all in need of God's love and mercy all the time and I find myself praying that prayer more and more these days. It's amazing to see how he answers. For example, this week I was approached by two young men who asked for assistance in helping them stay out of trouble. Think about that for a minute. Two guys, half my age, who don't look like me, talk like me, or act like me, come to a church building to ask someone they don't know to help them do what's right. There are two ways of looking at this. One way is to see them through worldly eyes that assess their skin color, their past, the way they dress, talk, act, etc. Another way is to see them through God's eyes--people for whom Christ laid down his life in order to bring them into a relationship with his father. I admit to being intimidated by the many differences between us. The chief concern for me was "Can I trust these guys?" They already told me they'd been in trouble. That's when this question came to mind: "What are they risking?" How uncomfortable are they approaching a white man in a place where they are likely to be met with skepticism and distrust, asking not for money, but for something that requires time and relationship? That's a huge risk to the one making the request. It would have been easier for them to ask for money to eat lunch or fix the broken down bike they were pushing around. Instead, they were asking me to care. Time and relationship are two of the biggest rests of our faith, requiring a level of vulnerability that makes us transparent to others. It is opening the door of your life and allowing others to see what Jesus is doing with you. This invites them to open the door to Him as well. After all, he stands knocking, hoping to find a heart that is willing to fellowship with Him (Revelation 3:20).
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