How Can I Help

For those of us who know what it is like to find ourselves in a serious need for help, it is a big relief to hear the words, "How can I help?" It doesn't matter what the situation is, money, physical labor, encouragement or a ride to your destination. I have been in need of all of these things in the past and probably will be at some point in the future. So many times, we do not consider people's situations or the need they might have regarding those situations.

Let's consider the words of Jesus in regard to helping others,

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  MK 10:45

If our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, did not consider Himself as one who should be served but should be one who serves others, even to the point of dying for us, then why should we think we don't have to help those in need? Now, this doesn't mean we should spend all day every day looking around for someone to help. But when we are aware of those who  do need some kind of support, we should be ready to offer help.

There are some great Christian organizations out there who are always ready to respond to major disasters to provide relief for those affected. Samaritan's Purse is a well known relief effort which has been responding to locations around the world as a result of earthquakes, flooding hurricanes and many other local disasters. Calvary Relief is another which provides the same type of help and when these organizations hit the ground, they are there doing God's work.

When Houston was devastated by Hurricane Harvey, a local Christian relief team helped pull damaged carpet and furnishings from homes. This would have taken each resident days and weeks to do but these people were there to help and many residents didn't understand why they were doing it. That opened the door for these people to tell them why they were doing it. It was an opportunity to tell them about Jesus.

But we don't need to wait for the next disaster; I'm sure there are people in churches across this country who are in need of help right now. Many are either too proud or embarrassed to ask for help so we might need to approach them. This can be done by showing love for them and their needs. We shouldn't embarrass them or shame them when we approach them and don't push if they say no.

Of course, there are always going to be those who will attempt to rip people off in the name of Jesus or the Church. We live in an evil world and we need to have discernment  if we are going to reach out for help. I can remember helping a widow reframe some of her garage following a fire. A friend of mine told me about her need and we offered to help. The local church where she attended knew about the fire and she was approached by a couple of men who told her they would help. But when they showed up to survey the damage, they presented her with an astronomical bid to do the work. This is not the kind of help I am referring to.

We are not always going to be able to provide the kind of help which might be needed in every circumstance and if we can't, the Lord understands. He would never expect us to provide funds which we don't have, perform work we are incapable of doing or anything else we just can't do. In 2 Corinthians, Paul gives the church there the following advice concerning this,

Give in proportion to what you have.  Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 2 Cor 8:11-12

Of course, Paul, here, is speaking of money but I think this would apply to any type of help. If you're are not an electrician, please don't attempt to help repair an electrical problem in someone's home. This could result in it's own disaster.

In our local churches, there is probably at least one person who needs some kind of help and we should always be aware of providing help if we are able. I have been involved in many projects which concerned helping the elderly church attendees or those who simple didn't have the ability to make a repair or correct a situation. But this also should extend beyond the church family. I'm sure we all know of neighbors and co-worked who have a need and this is where they can have the opportunity to see Jesus through that work and help.

We all know the story of the good Samaritan (LK 10:25-37) and how this man helped someone who considered him, the Samaritan, to be of a lower culture and less than a full blooded Jew. But the Samaritan helped him anyway. That's an excellent example for those of us who are Christians. Of course, Jesus tells this parable in relation to the command to love your neighbor as yourself and then tells us we need to do exactly that. If Jesus sets the example of how we should be ready to provide for the needs of others, why then shouldn't we?

It's not so much about only helping those who are close to us but those we know who are in need. It's not always money; it can be food, repairs to a home, transportation needs or simply just sitting and listening. When we offer our help to those who don't know Jesus, it's an opportunity for them to see the love of Him through us. And, we never know when, just like the residents in Houston, they will ask why.

I was reminded this week of a man and his daughter we helped years ago. He had a van which had been stranded at an exit from the interstate in town for about a week. I had went past this van everyday that week and wondered what was wrong. I saw him and another man working on it and decided everything was being taken care of. But the following Sunday when we were coming home from church, I noticed the van was now parked on the street which we lived on. He had thought it was fixed and limped it down this busy street and turned onto the street where we lived and parked.

I made the turn and saw the van parked there and I knew I had to stop. I also know it was the Holy Spirit who prompted me to stop. I asked what was going on and if I could help. He told me he thought the van had been fixed but as it turned out, it still needed some work. It was just him and his daughter who was about ten years old and they had been stranded in that van for a week. I just felt so bad for them and told him to follow me up the street to our house. Even though I couldn't help him with his van, I had a friend who could take care of his problem.

We told them to take showers and cool down; my wife made them some food and washed their clothes. I was able to get hold of my friend, who is an excellent mechanic, and he came to the house and took care of the problem. We offered to let them stay with us that night since it was late in the afternoon but he insisted they needed to get on the road and get home. I understood that.

I don't tell this story looking for a pat on the back or any kudos. It was a blessing to be able to help them and I wanted to and understood how discouraging it was to be stuck in that van, in the desert heat, for a week. It had to be miserable and this father had to be feeling so bad since he couldn't solve this problem and get his daughter out of it. And that's why Jesus had me stop and help these people. I told the guy where we were coming from and I told him I believed Jesus had me stop and help him. I didn't take advantage of the situation and jam the gospel down his throat. I could only pray that seeds were planted in his heart and mind and that someone would come along and cultivate those plantings and harvest them.

I know in our society today how dangerous this can be. So many people have been carjacked, robbed and even murdered when they stop to help others. We have to be careful when we consider helping strangers and that's sad but if we keep our hearts and ears tuned in to the Lord, He will let us know when and where to help those strangers in need. The Lord has always done that for me and other Christians I know.

The biggest item we hold back on is not money but time, our time. There are many times when people will just throw money at a problem when it's really their time which is needed. If it's a repair that is needed, money might buy the material but if the one in need can't make the repair, then the money has been useless, in a sense. We all too often consider our time as an item we just can't part with. People work forty, fifty and sometimes sixty hours a week and they just can't give their time or won't give their time. I understand that working sixty hours a week doesn't allow for much time left over but if a person is working forty hours a week, there is a few hours available to provide some help.

I spent a lot of time in bi-vocational ministry and I know what it is like to work fifty hours a week and still put in time in the evenings to listen to someone with problems. The Apostle Paul worked at every stop he made on his missionary journeys. He had some long days and some long walks as he ministered from one place to the next. I'm not saying we all need to do that. I just saying we can manage our time so we can budget some of it for that individual who might need our help.

Christians in the Church today are, at times, very reluctant to offer any help for any situation. I mean the help which is seriously needed by those around them. I'm not referring to standing behind a table on Sunday morning for a half hour to hand out flyers for some activity. Some local churches have made this a ministry in the church and there is an awareness of those in that church who need help or those outside the church also. It's a good idea and a simple way of providing the help which is needed.

We all have busy lives but as Christians, who are we living for? Are we living for ourselves or are we living for Jesus? Are we living to fulfill our own needs or are we living to share Jesus with those who need Him? If we are so involved in our own lives that we can't be there for those in need, we are on the wrong path in this life. Jesus isn't our co-pilot, He is the pilot and we need to yield to Him in all things in our lives. Believe me, I need to hear this as much as anyone and I'm not innocent in this area. But I strive to pay attention to what Jesus would have me do, where to go and who needs help. Helping others is a true blessing and if I can paraphrase what our Lord said, "It is better to give than receive."