Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Cheering Section

I have a friend and brother in Christ named Steve. I am humbled by his heart for Jesus as a man of the Word, prayer, and evangelistic fervor.

The interesting fact about Steve is that he has only been a follower of Jesus for a couple of months. By his own testimony, he lived a tough life in which it took him 62 years, 2 months, and 1 week to find Jesus. Steve reignites my passion for ministry on many levels. The Holy Spirit still moves in mighty ways when the church prays and goes out into His harvest field.

However, the stunning message that Steve shared with me was about his baptism. Steve said, "Joe, no one at Tomoka knew me when I went up to be baptized. When I came up out of the water everyone stood and cheered. For the first time in my life I meant something to someone. God and His people loved me. No one had cheered for me since the third grade."

So, here is my question. Who do you know that could use some cheering right about now? How could we cheer for them?

  • Words of encouragement
  • Bring dinner
  • Buy some groceries
  • Help with yard work
  • Help with Christmas
  • Buy a cup of coffee
Maybe just a statement, "I believe in you."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"No one had cheered for me since the third grade."

This is so sad. Thanks for the reminder that EVERYBODY needs encouragement — regardless of age or circumstance.

I've found that often those who need it most are actually very skilled at looking like they have it together and don't need it!