My dear wife and I were traveling last night – very early – trying to get through Atlanta Georgia without losing our temper. We had had a wonderful few days with our grandchildren Asher and Micah, and really enjoyed our trip home to see our Son Michael and Daughter April. We are so blessed. We are so blessed. We are four times blessed just in our precious Valdosta Family.

But I digress.

Once we got through the nightmare that is Atlanta Georgia I was ready to stop, gas up, and walk around. We stopped at one of these all night gas stations/ convenience stores. When we walked in I noticed a very friendly oriental gentleman (no, I’m not being racist. This will matter in a moment) behind a bulletproof glass wall. He was very friendly, welcoming us in. Sherry and I refreshed ourselves in remarkably clean rest rooms, and then came out to get something to drink. I love those You Hoo drinks, so that was my choice. Heading to the checkout a frustrated man was trying to make himself understood.

“Sixty three cents. I want to prepay for sixty three cents for gas.” The oriental cashier did not understand. He rang up a sale of $60.30 which just embarrassed and frustrated the man. “No, no! Sixty three cents. That’s all I’ve got in my account. Just sixty three cents.” Here it is 4:30 in the morning, a crowd is starting to form behind this man, and most are just impatient, wanting him to get out of the way. I interrupted the exasperated man and the confused cashier with a simple question to clarify the need. I asked the man,

Are you trying to buy just sixty three cents worth of gas?

He looked at me and said “That’s all I’ve got”. I took our my wallet, grabbed the first bill I found (it was a ten dollar bill) and handed it to him. He looked at me and said “God bless you – I didn’t know what I was going to do!”. Sliding the ten dollars under the glass wall he went out to get some gas. A lady in line behind me said “There needs to be more people like you in the world”.

And I was ashamed.

I left the store with out drinks, and and passing the poor man I asked “Do you need more? Do you have enough to get home? Are you all right?”. He smiled and said “that was more than enough – God bless you!” And I told him “God bless you too, brother. Pass it on.” All the way home I thought “Maybe I should have given him more. It’s nothing but paper. Nothing but paper.”

Just the other day I was heading into the local Kroger Grocery store and a woman was standing on the sidewalk weeping. “Are you all right” I asked. “I am completely out of gas, but I forgot and left my purse at home. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I gave her some more of that paper everybody in America seems to worship and, thinking now, I wish I had given more. She wiped her face and said “God bless you” and I prayer with her, ending with “God bless you”.

God did bless me when I gave in love.

We are “enjoying” the most horrific Presidential election in America’s history. In my opinion neither candidate is worth much. But this is the leadership that narcissism and greed has bought us. God will not bless us until we do what God has told us to do. Like Jesus, we need to help the hurting. I don’t mean we need to pamper lazy welfare bums – you know who they are. But there are good people out there that are suffering through no fault of their own, people of all colors, children abandoned and crying, looking not for a hand out but a hand up.

Be Jesus to them. Let’s quit looking to fill our bellies, bloated and fat with too much. Let’s reach out in love to others and give to those in genuine need. God will bless you.

Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus.