"EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU JESUS?"
-Author Unknown.

As you read this think about what you would do!

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales
convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they
would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their
rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen
inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.
Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they
all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE !!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with
his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl
whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told
one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home
destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned
to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears
running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time
helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled
about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples,
put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he
did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and
bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,
"Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?"
She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we
didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl
called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back
into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made
his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and
bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?" Do people mistake
you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like
Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact
with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to
church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been
bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you
and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Please share this,,,, Sometimes we just take things for granted,
when we really need to be sharing what we know...

“…and they loved not their lives unto the death.”


How do we live like this? Living without loving our lives? It is only possible if we love the life, the lives of others.


Phi 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Phi 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Phi 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

The bible was written without punctuation marks, and capital letters. The above appeared in Greek somewhat as:

let nothing be done through strife or vainglory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves not looking every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus

We tend to isolate the ideas of the scriptures by considering them as separated from one another. The (punctuated) phrases, sentences, and the verse numbers, paragraphs and chapters are all arguably not inSpired. Notwithstanding we must do better in connecting the divine ideas of scripture to each other, seeing the whole as well as the part.

So it is clear (to me) that the mind of Christ is that we love others, and that we love them as Jesus loves us, by laying down our lives for others. The alternative is a life of self absorption, narcissism and idolatry. Looking on the things of others means we are concerned for the well being of others, not in ignorance of our own needs, but before and above our own needs. We let the decency and order of our worship extend into our everyday affair, making sure there are none of others of us unloved, or unserved, according to their need. This will not mean only the provision of food and raiment, but also their equipping for the ministry. Just as a starving man is of little use, so is a man starving for heavenly wisdom, knowledge, and vision. And even those provided for spiritually and materially fat will turn in on themselves, and on each other, destroying the work, if they do not learn charity, and that as Jesus our Lord said and says: it is more blessed to give than to receive.

The ministry is simply to provide for the material needs of the poor, the widow (in deed), and the orphan. It flows from and follows our edification in the Word, Will and Way of God.

and let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint we have therefore opportunity therefore let us do good unto all men especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Gal 6:9,10

Father, please favor us to grow and succeed in and for Thy Son, Jesus our Lord, amen.

© 2007 David Severy 4.26.07