Wednesday February 17



“The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Lk 19:10

Reach out to those who hurt

The first thing you generally notice about someone who’s in trouble, is their problem. But if you look beyond their problem, God will help you to see their potential. At each Kentucky Derby the crowd sings “My Old Kentucky Home.” But most people don’t know it was written by Stephen Foster, who purportedly died of alcoholism. The police found him in a New York flophouse with a deep gash in his throat. They rushed him to Bellevue Hospital but it was too late to save him. Among his belongings they found a note with the words written, “Dear friends and gentle hearts.” It sounded like the words of another song, but he died before he could write it. Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost.” There are people around you today who have lost their way, their family, their job, their health, and their hope—people Jesus came to save! And that’s where you come in. You’re called to be His hand extended. Elizabeth Holt Hartford lived and died in a Los Angeles slum. Here were her parting words: “You see me as an old lady who’s all broken down with age. But what you don’t understand is that this is me in here. I’m trapped in a body that no longer serves me. It hurts, and it’s wrinkled and diseased. But I haven’t changed. I’m still the person I used to be when this body was young.” Today ask God to do two things for you: (1) Open your eyes to the needs around you. (2) Activate your heart to meet them.