Friday, August 10, 2007

MISTER COFFEE

..........I WANT TO RELATE A STORY THAT HAPPENED TO ME ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. THE TITLE "MISTER COFFEE " COMES FROM A MAN THAT WAS POOR, AND WALKED THE TOWN LOOKING FOR ODD JOBS. HE WOULD SWEEP AND CLEAN PARKING LOTS FOR A CUP OF COFFEE. HE COULD NOT DRESS VERY WELL. HIS CLOTHES WERE SHABBY, AND HIS HYGIENE WAS FAR BELOW WHAT OTHERS LIKED. KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE MADE FUN OF HIM. I FELT SORRY FOR HIM, AND THE WAY HE WAS TREATED BY OTHERS. THEN ONE DAY I FOUND THAT I WAS JUST AS BAD AS THE ONE’S WHO TORMENTED HIM. IF WE ARE TRUE TO THE WORD OF GOD. IF WE PREACH THE WORD. AND IF WE ARE A CHILD OF GOD. THEN WHEN WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH A TRUTH OF HIS WORD AND WE ARE NOT LIVING IT, WE STAND AT A CROSSROAD OF CHOICE. WILL WE THEN CHOOSE THE WORD AND BETTER OURSELVES AND THOSE AROUND US, OR WILL WE CHOOSE TO GO OUR OWN WAY DOWN A PATH OF DISOBEDIENCE AND DESTRUCTION TO OURSELVES AND OTHERS. I THOUGHT I WAS DOING ALRIGHT IN MY WALK AS A CHRISTIAN, HOWEVER I FOUND AN AREA THAT WAS NOT DOING SO GOOD ONE DAY.
IT WAS A BITTER COLD DAY. SNOW WAS PILED ALL AROUND. SLIPPERY ICY SIDEWALKS AND STREETS WERE WHAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH. I MADE IT TO ONE OF THE LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND WAS SITTING THERE WARMING UP AS THE DOOR OPENED AND A COLD BLAST OF AIR CHILLED THE ROOM. MR COFFEE WALKED IN AND SAT DOWN. I NOTICED THE FACES OF THE PEOPLE AS THEY LOOKED AT HIM WITH DISGUST. PEOPLE WERE WHISPERING AND MURMURING ABOUT HIM. SAYING THINGS LIKE, " WHY DID HE HAVE TO COME IN HERE?" I WAS THINKING THEY NEED TO BE QUIET. THEY ARE HURTING HIS FEELINGS. HE CAN HEAR THE HARD HARSH WORDS THEY ARE SAYING. THEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THOUGHT THE LORD INTERRUPTED MY THOUGHTS WITH THIS STATEMENT. "YOU ARE JUST AS BAD MICHAEL. YOU’RE THINKING THE SAME THINGS. ONLY YOU HAVEN’T SPOKEN THEM OUT YET. IT IS IN YOUR HEART." I WAS ASTONISHED AND CONVICTED AS I REALIZED I WAS JUST AS GUILTY AS THOSE WHO SPOKE THEIR DISGUST OUT, FOR IN MY HEART I WAS JUST THE SAME. THE LORD SAID THIS MAN HAS BEEN TREATED SO UNJUST ALL HIS LIFE, AND I DON’T WANT TO FIND YOUR FOOTPRINT OR THUMB PRINTS ON HIS BACK. I SAT THERE AND ASK THE LORDS FORGIVENESS AND REPENTED OF MY WRONG WAYS.
GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. WE ARE NOT TO BE A RESPECTER OF PERSONS EITHER. James 2:1-13 KJV. 1. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3. And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4. Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6. But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 8. If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
VERSE NINE TELLS US IF WE HAVE RESPECT OF PERSONS WE COMMIT SIN . VERSE TEN SAYS THAT IF WE MISS IT IN ONE POINT WE ARE GUILTY OF ALL. ISN'T THAT A MIND BOGGLER IN A WORLD FULL OF RESPECT OF PERSONS. WE MUST BE DIFFERENT THAN THE WORLD. WE MUST DO THE RIGHT THING NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS THINK OF US. SO WHAT DID I DO AFTER THIS REALIZATION AND REPENTANT ACTION. I STRUCK UP A CONVERSATION WITH MR COFFEE. AS WE TALKED I COULD SEE THE HORRORIFIED LOOKS ON THE FACES OF THE PEOPLE. THEY HAD NOW TURNED ON ME, BECAUSE I WAS MAKING MR COFFEE FEEL WELCOME.
THEY WOULD RATHER HE STAYED OUTSIDE AND FROZE TO DEATH THAN BE INSIDE WHERE THEY WERE. I THEN FORGAVE THOSE THAT LOOKED DOWN ON ME AND TOOK NO OFFENCE TOWARDS THEM. FAITH WITHOUT ACTION IS DEAD, SO I THEN BOUGHT MR COFFEE A GOOD BREAKFAST. WE TALKED SOME MORE, AND THEN I SHOOK HIS HAND AS WE PARTED WAYS THAT DAY. WHEN GOD LOOKED AT MR COFFEE I WANTED THE ONLY FINGERPRINTS OF MINE ON HIM TO BE ON THIS HAND AND IN HIS HEART.
WE CAN ONLY CHANGE AND MAKE CORRECTIONS IN THIS LIFE. WHEN WE ARE GONE WE CAN NOT COME BACK AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS. WE MUST GET IT RIGHT IN THIS LIFE. WE MUST RENEW OUR MINDS TO THE WORD OF GOD AND THEN LIVE IT.
Passage Luke 16:19-31 KJV.
19.There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
THE ONLY INFLUENCE WE HAVE ON OTHERS IS DURING THIS LIFE ON EARTH. LET'S MAKE IT THE RIGHT THING WE SHOW THEM. LET'S SHOW MERCY NOT JUDGEMENT TO OTHERS.