By: Thom Rainer
It was a strange sensation.

I could not take my eyes off the young man on the corner. He was holding up one of those signs that said the store was going out of business, that you could buy some things as cheaply as 90 percent off.

You’ve likely seen them, too. In this economy, more businesses are failing. And so they use young men and women like this guy to advertise the fate of the store and the potential benefits to the customer.

He stood on the corner on a hot day in August. Beads of perspiration streamed down his brow.

It was a strange sensation. I had to stop.

Not Like Me

Lest you think I’m boasting about the deed I will soon share with you, let me assure that what I did was not normative for me. I’ve passed dozens of similar people with hardly a glance.

I wonder how many times I heartlessly passed the least of these.

But this time I had to stop.

The Conversation

I pulled into the convenience store near his appointed corner. I purchased several cold bottles of water. I approached the young man. He saw my approach, but I could not tell if his demeanor was one of curiosity or caution.

“Hey,” I began speaking. “Would you be offended if I gave you these bottles of water and some cash?” The young man seemed to have a moment of disbelief. Then, in a very polite response, he said, “Thank you sir. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

I smiled and began to walk away. He called me.

“Sir,” he said, “may I ask you a question?” I nodded. “Are you a Christian?”

“Yes, I am,” I responded. “Are you?”

The Surprise

His response surprised me. “No I’m not.” His words were matter-of-fact. I detected no animosity.

“May I share with you how I became a Christian?” I asked. He smiled and allowed me to share the gospel with him.

“You know, I’ve heard that from someone before,” he responded calmly. “I think I understand how someone becomes a Christian. In fact, both of my parents took me to church until I became a teenager, so I do know some things about Jesus.”

There was a pause in the conversation. He seemed to anticipate my next words.

“So why aren’t you a Christian?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m not really sure. I guess one of the main reasons I’ve stayed away from Christians and the church is the way Christians treat one another. You guys talk a lot about love but, I’ll be honest with you, it’s hard to hear about that love when you don’t act like you love one another.”

Our conversation ended with my weak attempt to tell him that the love of Christ is real even when Christians don’t often demonstrate that love. Again, the young man was polite, but it was obvious that he was having trouble reconciling the words we proclaim with the actions we portray.

I prayed with him and left. My heart was heavy.

Love in Action

“Now this is the command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us” (1 John 3:23, HCSB).

How many times have I shared the truth of the gospel and failed to live it? The question is rhetorical. I don’t want you to answer it because, even though I don’t know the precise number, I do know that the number is far too great.

The world looks at us Christians and laughs at our proclamations of Jesus’ love when we don’t demonstrate it, particularly when we don’t even act like we love other Christians.

Lord, help me to love others, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ. And when I think that some of my fellow Christians are just too unlovable, let me get a glimpse of the wretch that I am, a wretch whom You loved unconditionally, and let me love with that same unconditional love.

“Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

Yes. We must love one another.
Originally posted by Thom Rainer on: http://thomrainer.com/

First Baptist Church of Perryville is located in Cecil County, 1 and 1/2 miles east of Route 222.