Caring for The Needy
A Meaningful Story
There is a meaningful story that comes from the pen of one of the old writers, about a soldier on duty at his post in very cold sub-zero weather. A factory worker on his way home took off his coat, gave it to the soldier, and said, “Here, I will soon be home. Put this on to get through the night.” The cold was so intense that the soldier was found frozen to death in the morning.
Sometime afterward, the factory worker was on his deathbed, and in a dream saw Jesus appear to him. In his dream, the sick man said, “You have my coat on.” “Yes, it is the coat you leant to me that cold night while I was on duty and you were on your way home from work.”
A Worthy Principle
This is only a story, but it presents a worthy principle. Indeed, this benevolent spirit should be the attitude of every true believer in Jesus Christ. We ought to be living not for ourselves, but for other people. That story reminds me of the words of the Lord Jesus, found in Matthew 25:35-36, where He said, For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. When the child of God helps someone in the name of Jesus, he or she is doing it for the Lord.
What Jesus Said
This is what Jesus said in Matthew 25:40. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Thank God for those Christians who, like Christ, live not for themselves but for those around them.
It was Reverend George A. Milner who said, “One way to measure the value of one’s religion is to find out just how far it reaches beyond the house where he lives.”
Think of Others
You see, we are prone to think about our own family, our own home, our own business, and our own obligations, while all around us there is misery and suffering. How different from our Lord. Never did He think of Himself or His own needs. It was always the needs of others. How many times you and I in the midst of our trials have lifted our hearts to God in prayer! Did He answer? Yes, He did. In His own time and providence, He lifted the burden and gave us comfort. But be sure of this, He did not give us comfort to make us comfortable. He gave us comfort to make us comforters. He comforted us that we might comfort others. God’s grace is never manifested for selfish purposes, but that we might use it to relieve the sufferings of others.
Notice the words of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. God comforts us in all our trials that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble.
Fulfill The Law
I have found, and I am sure that you have found it to be true also, that the best way to get your mind off yourself and off your own problems is to get it on others and their problems. The Bible says, Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. It is hard to explain, but it is true. When we bear the burdens of others, our own seems to get lighter. How the heart of God must be cheered by those who unselfishly give of themselves and all they have in a ministry to help the needy. Regrettably, there are not many of this kind of believers in the world; but here and there we find some who have gotten the victory over the selfish life, and through a Christ-centered life have learned to give rather than get.
Even Your Enemies!
One day, Daniel Webster, on his way home from the law courts, stopped to see his daughter, Mrs. Appleton, who was dying. As he entered her room, she looked up and said, “Father, why are you out on such a cold day without your coat?” The great lawyer left the room sobbing as he exclaimed, “Dying, yet she thinks of me!” Such a spirit reminds me of the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross, dying for the sins of the world; and yet, in the presence of His persecutors and murderers, He cried out, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. How we need to pray that God will put within our hearts this same spirit of love and concern for all those around us, even our enemies. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
It is easy to love those who love us. It is a very simple matter to love the lovely. But Christ said we are to love the unlovely. We are to love those who hate us. And to be sure, love, if it is real and sincere, must be demonstrated. It must be proved. It is not enough to say, “I love you.” Love must be evidenced.
Any believer who is walking in fellowship with God, whose heart is right with God, will not find it difficult to love everyone. Nor will he find it a burden to be kind, gracious and helpful to everyone. If it is a burden, maybe he has never really met the Lord.
Christ Transforms Lives!
This could be your problem. It is very possible that you need Christ so the love of Christ might be manifested through your life. You have been selfish, unkind, bitter, and envious, with a determination to get even with someone. Oh, my friend, let Christ transform your life. You’re only injuring yourself. You know you are miserable in your present circumstances. Take Jesus Christ into your life. Let Him give you His love; and then let Him live through you and manifest His love through you to others. This is the really blessed life. So, I urge you to come to Jesus Christ right now by repenting of your sins, and taking Him as your Savior through faith.
J. Allen Blair
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8,9 )
Three for Six
Audio Cassette Tape Grab Bag
Overstock of weekly message tapes
3 tapes for $6.00 ($18.00 value)
Obtain 3 unique tapes, randomly chosen, with 15 messages by Dr. Blair when you send $6.00 by mail + $1.00 p/h = $7.00 total. [Shipping costs for USA addresses only.]
To Dr. J. Allen Blair
Arthur J. Stairs - August 17, 1973
Your paper comes into my home,
Just like a monthly letter;
And as I read it’s pages through,
My heart goes “pitter patter.”
You see, I’ve met the editor,
A man of faith and prayer;
A man, who under God has brought,
Great blessings here and there.
“Glad Tidings” gives me quite a lift,
It’s reading is superb;
Next to my Bible reading,
It has a place reserved.
So, please, dear Doctor Allen Blair,
When you revise your list;
Please do not cross my name from it,
But, let it still exist.
(Thanks to his daughter, Mrs. Stewart, who submitted this in in August of 2007, ten years after Mr. Stairs went to be with the Lord.)
The Big Brown Chair
by Elva Blair
It’s big, and it’s brown, and it’s comfortable too,
A chair you sat in your whole life through.
It was placed at my side so I could see,
Your smiling face, looking over at me.
The chair is now empty, but I always shall see,
Your handsome face, looking over at me.
Love you, Ma (October 2007)
A Short History
The Scripture Planner Calendar
Recently, Mrs. Blair related how, in 1985, she was sitting in the living room floor designing the format of the calendar. She shared how the format of a week at a glance, the monthly calendar, and the verse for the week was an answer to her prayer. The goal of the calendar is to help “order your day” while keeping a person's thoughts on the Lord through Scripture.