The Shoe Shine Evangelist 3/10/2015

Good Morning,

Here we go into Thursday. My mug is filled with Door County Cherry Crème Coffee and I intend to enjoy it slowly and contemplate my prayers for awhile.

As we continue to discuss "The Crisis Of Faith" which happens when we accept the work God has for us to do as He molds us and teaches us to rely on Him. God is always at work and desires for us to have a deeper relationship with Him. When we have to take a stand for our faith in His call we often find that if we take His word literally we know what He wants. His desires are sometimes contrary to how we think things should be done. Here is an example. But His ways are not our ways.

I like to talk, and preach, there is no doubt. While on a short term mission trip in a tropical part of the world, I was leading a group of teenagers on an evangelical/construction week. Our project leader asked us to go to the town square and pray for the program that would be done later in the week to reach people for Jesus. Prior to that during my morning devotions I read Psalm 46:10.

Psalm 46:10New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

 

I had been praying and asking God what He wanted me to do in the square. Psalm 46:10  spoke clearly to me. I was to go to the square set up my teenagers on a prayer walk and I was to be still and just pray. I instructed my team and also told them that I would be sitting on a park bench, praying and observing silence. " No talking".

 

I was sitting, praying and reading my Bible when I was approached by a young boy about 8 years old. I did not speak Spanish and he did not speak English. He gestured that he would like to shine my shoes. I gestured back with a no thank you. He stood there staring at me. He looked about as poor as poor can be. I remembered that God is always at work and maybe this boy was who He was working with. I gestured for him to go ahead and shine my shoes. While working hard on my shoes the boy looked up an mumbled "Biblia? "and pointed to my Bible. I nodded a yes and he picked it up. I then remembered that I had a Spanish Bible and a kids Spanish Bible tract with a cartoon presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I handed it to him. He could read and he read out loud. I could make out the verse John 3:16. At the end of the tract there was an invitation to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. I saw Him bow his head and pray. When he looked up his little eyes were filled with tears and he was smiling. He found out just how much Jesus loved him that day. He hugged me with all of his might. When I looked behind him a group of young shoe shine boys were standing there looking at us as well as many adults. My little buddy took the tract and stood on the park bench next to me and started to read and preach to the group that had formed. My team of teenagers walked over and mixed in. At the end of his little sermon the same results occurred. The group prayed with him and they all were crying with joy for their choice to follow Jesus. The teenagers handed everyone a Bible and some tracts of their own.

 

I never spoke a word that morning. What I learned was this. God was at work, and He really only needed me to deliver a tract. He did the rest through the Holy Spirit. I was there to pray and observe.

Instead of using the one who likes to preach He used a child. The young boy finished the shine job on my shoes and I paid him fairly. As I was walking away I waved goodbye. He in return pointed to him and me. He then pointed up and waved goodbye. I knew then that what he meant was that he and I would meet in heaven some day. I look forward to it.

 

Matthew 19:14New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Will you take God at His word? What does He want you to do today? Maybe He wants you to forgive someone so He can use you in His work. Forgiveness is often a crisis of faith, because to the world forgiveness does not make sense. But to God it does.

 

Think on it!

 

Marty