I went by myself to eat brunch at La Madeleine.
As I waited in line, in front of me stood three woman who were clearly friends, all with a strong New York accent. They were laughing, cutting up and having a good time.
As the line moved forward, I heard God's still-small-Voice inside of me say, "Bless her."
I knew what that meant, so without hesitation, I reached over the woman in front of me and handed the server my credit card. Shocked, the woman quickly replied with, "No No!" And then I quickly shot back and said, "Don't rob me of this blessing. The Lord wants to bless you!" She was mixed with several emotions and received the small gift while quickly telling her friends what just happened.
Her friends waived me over and they begged me to join them for lunch and I gladly accepted.
It turned out the woman who God asked me to bless, was an atheist. Even though she didn't believe in Him, He certainly loved her and perfectly positioned me at the right time to be a vessel of that love. Not to "convince" her of Him, but to allow her to receive His love tangibly and for her to see what relationship with the King looks like and NOT just religion.
You see, as I listened to her story of how the church misrepresented Christ and shoved "religion" down her throat....
I thought to myself, "No wonder she rejected God. Jesus never drew people to Himself that way. It's the loving kindness of God that leads a man to repentance" (Romans 2:4).
I began to share my "relationship" with God, to them. Not religion, not rhetoric, just reality!
They listened with such intent and interest that my "new friend" had a tear in her eye. God was all over this and little did I know His intention earlier when He asked me one simple request, "Bless her!" I just responded in obedience and He had LOVE on His mind!
As I walked away from this divine encounter, my new friend hugged me tight and genuinely said, "THANK YOU!"
How are you sharing the love of God with others?
As I waited in line, in front of me stood three woman who were clearly friends, all with a strong New York accent. They were laughing, cutting up and having a good time.
As the line moved forward, I heard God's still-small-Voice inside of me say, "Bless her."
I knew what that meant, so without hesitation, I reached over the woman in front of me and handed the server my credit card. Shocked, the woman quickly replied with, "No No!" And then I quickly shot back and said, "Don't rob me of this blessing. The Lord wants to bless you!" She was mixed with several emotions and received the small gift while quickly telling her friends what just happened.
Her friends waived me over and they begged me to join them for lunch and I gladly accepted.
It turned out the woman who God asked me to bless, was an atheist. Even though she didn't believe in Him, He certainly loved her and perfectly positioned me at the right time to be a vessel of that love. Not to "convince" her of Him, but to allow her to receive His love tangibly and for her to see what relationship with the King looks like and NOT just religion.
You see, as I listened to her story of how the church misrepresented Christ and shoved "religion" down her throat....
I thought to myself, "No wonder she rejected God. Jesus never drew people to Himself that way. It's the loving kindness of God that leads a man to repentance" (Romans 2:4).
I began to share my "relationship" with God, to them. Not religion, not rhetoric, just reality!
They listened with such intent and interest that my "new friend" had a tear in her eye. God was all over this and little did I know His intention earlier when He asked me one simple request, "Bless her!" I just responded in obedience and He had LOVE on His mind!
As I walked away from this divine encounter, my new friend hugged me tight and genuinely said, "THANK YOU!"
How are you sharing the love of God with others?
