I met Gerry in 1977. He told me that he was a little boy when the worldwide depression began in 1929. He said, “If it wasn’t for the Jewish man who owned the corner shop we may have starved to death. But somehow, he extended credit long enough for us to get through the worst of it. I don’t know how he did it, no one around us had any money.” The appreciation in his heart was as bright that day as it was nearly fifty years earlier.
God carries us along in ways that we have little or no control over. For as much as we might like to think that we have qualities that make us deserving, sometimes its nothing but pure providence that brings us through.
On the other side of the ledger we see the schemes of the devil. For the soul that wants to go all in, the Compliance Cost is that soul. Unlike man, the devil never sleeps. He knows what a man is willing to sell his soul for, and he has plenty of it in stock.
The Good News for the Christian is that Satan cannot snatch them out of Jesus’ hands. Though he has power to tempt Christians, they have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to resist. We need not despair, we have no idea what God is doing for us as we fight the good fight.
But this we do know for sure: Saints do more and better when they are around other saints who do more and better; you can’t help but become like those you share your spiritual life with. It is in this strengthened state that God uses us to impact the lives of saints and sinners alike. God’s providence works through you as you share His love in your good words and good deeds. God provides!
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
John Staiger
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