FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Todd Gaddis

Therefore, he decided to attend a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. However, when Gandhi entered the sanctuary, an usher refused to seat him and suggested that he go and worship with his own people. “If Christians have caste systems also,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” The usher’s prejudice betrayed Jesus and also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior. 4 Of course, our prejudices are certainly not limited to race. I live in the South where people sometimes don’t accept “Yankees” from the North. I’ve lived in the North and witnessed stereotypes against Southerners as well. The prosperous often look down upon the poor. Even though the church I pastor has members from all walks of life, we’ve been labeled in the past as coming from the upper class and social elite. (I’m happy to report this is changing for the good). Likewise, the educated often look with disdain upon the uneducated, and vice versa. Such biases must be set aside if we’re to live as Jesus lived. Being a good neighbor also requires a willingness to give of your resources. And though I dealt with this vital subject in Chapter 11, let’s give it one more push as we again examine the following two challenges: Show love by giving/sharing time— The Good Samaritan certainly did. Obviously, he had somewhere to be. Yet that didn’t keep him from stopping to help someone in need. He increased his time commitment substantially by taking the victim to an inn and agreeing to come back later to settle. You’ve probably heard about the boy that was asked how to spell love. “We spell it T.I.M.E. at our house." the lad responded. Time is more valuable than money to many in this 21 st Century economy in which we live. LOVE IS SPELLED T-I-M-E

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