Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Watch What God Can Do

Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. -- James 2:14

A young woman in our church recently started a clothes closet for those in need. It was something she felt God leading her to do. There’s been no big fanfare. No loud praises for her actions. Just one simple step forward as she lives her faith.

Not surprisingly, a short time later my cousin forwarded the story of the 57 cent church to me. I’ve read it before but it just seemed so fitting at this moment in time. It forever amazes me how God can use the least among us to change the world around us.

Have you heard the story? A little girl cried because there was no room for her in Sunday School. The kindly pastor noticed her, saw her shabby attire, and lead her to a class. Two years later the little girl died. Her family found 57 cents in a worn red purse and a note that asked it be used to enlarge the church so it would have room for every child who wanted to attend.

The pastor called on the deacons to take action. A land owner donated property. A reporter found out and wrote a story. Donations came in from everywhere. Within five years, that 57 cent donation had turned into $250,000. That was a considerable sum of money for the turn of the century.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Temple Baptist Church in Philadelphia. It seats 3,300. It has a huge Sunday School building, with plenty of room for hundreds of children. And then there’s Temple University, which offers a wonderful education for thousands of students. Oh, and we can’t forget Good Samaritan Hospital.

It’s difficult to imagine that it all started with a 57 cent donation from a little girl who only wanted to attend Sunday school. But she believed that she could help, could make a difference, could change her world. And she did.

What has God called you to do? Are you holding back, certain that your little bit couldn’t possibly matter to anyone? Are you afraid to step out in faith because you’re certain you don’t have what it takes to make a change?

Take a minute and remember the little girl and 57 cents. Think about Jesus feeding thousands with a loaf of bread and two fish. God can take anything and multiply it beyond our wildest dreams. What are you waiting for? Take one step forward and then another. Then watch what God can do.