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Key Bible Verse: "You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:35). Bonus Reading:Luke 10:25-37

I lost my job due to "downsizing" and got evicted, with my two children, because I couldn't pay the rent. After a few weeks of sleeping in friends' living rooms and trying unsuccessfully to find a job, I made a sign—"Lost my job, evicted, and scared"—and parked myself at a busy intersection.

Within minutes a beat-up station wagon pulled over and an elderly couple asked me to come to dinner with them. At the restaurant, we shared our life stories. As we parted, they asked how they could reach me.

Two days later, a message from them told me to come to a certain address at four o'clock. When I arrived, they were waiting to give me the keys to a small apartment they owned. I could stay there rent-free until I found a job. To help me in my job search, they'd even arranged to have a phone hooked up that they'd pay for until I was back on my feet.

I just stood there staring at them, when the woman said, "Thank you, dear, for giving us this opportunity." That was it; I burst out in tears. I'd grown up hearing [today's Key Bible Verse], but this was the first time I really understood what it meant.

—Cited by Barbara Johnson in Christian Acts of Kindness

My Response: One way I am remembering these words of the Lord Jesus is …

Thought to Apply: The best exercise for strengthening the heart is reaching down and lifting people up.

—Ernest Blevins (speaker)

Adapted from Christian Acts of Kindness (Conari, 1999) by permission.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Merciful God, make me compassionate so that I will begin to mirror Your character.

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