A HELPING HAND

[Taken from Our Daily Bread - 8 Sep 2005]

Read: Luke 5:17-26

To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend. —Job 6:14

A college student named Kelly shattered her arm in the first volleyball game of the season. This meant she couldn't work at her part-time job. Then her car stopped running. To top it all off, the young man she had been dating stopped calling. Kelly felt so low that she began spending hours alone in her room crying.

Laura, a Christian friend on the volleyball team, became concerned about Kelly and decided to help her. So she planned a party. She and some friends collected money, and a couple of guys got Kelly's car running again. They found a temporary job she could do, using just one hand. And they gave her tickets to see her basketball hero when his team came to town. Before long, Kelly was herself again. When she asked why they did all this for her, Laura was able to tell her about the love of Jesus.

Kelly's story reminds me of the paralyzed man who was healed by Jesus. The afflicted man's friends cared enough about him to bring him to the Savior (Luke 5:17-26).

Do you have a friend in need? Think of some ways you can help. Show the love of Christ and then share the gospel. You never know what might happen when you lend a helping hand. -Dave Egner


Reach out in Jesus' name
With hands of love and care
To those who are in need
And caught in life's despair. -Sper

Real love puts actions to good intentions.

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You can also be a light and salt for God by giving a helping hand to those who are in need, whether they are believers or non-believers. You need not throw a big party or give big cash, but just by some simple acts - like, helping a person to get up after he/she fell down, share your meal with someone who does not have money to buy food, explaining to someone when they don't know how to do some questions (and I don't mean letting them copy your answers)... and many many more.

When giving a helping hand, you do it because God loves you - do it with love for the person, do it without motives in your heart and do it without expecting any form of returns from the person. That is what true love is all about.