IT'S JUST A JAR OF PEACHES

        “Reminisce” magazine in its Oct/Nov, 2008 issue had a story about a woman who was abandoned by her husband during the Great Depression. Scraping by, she was forced to take in washing to provide for her two daughters in her Charleston, West Virginia, home. Her faith in Jesus kept her cheery, even when her cupboards were bare. 

        The church she attended was in a poor section of the city, but it had a ministry to the needy.  One year, just before Thanksgiving, the pastor asked for food donations to be left on porches which would be picked up and distributed in baskets to those in need. When the mother heard of this, she went to her nearly empty cupboards, took a jar of home-canned peaches and set it out on her front porch. 

        Some neighbors criticized her, saying she was too poor to give food away. One cynical neighbor even told her the pastor was probably a crook and would sell the food or keep it himself. But the woman held her ground, and the peaches stayed on the porch. “For heaven’s sake, it’s just a jar of peaches,” she said. “It is up to the pastor what he does with them.”

        Her jar was picked up before Thanksgiving, and on Thanksgiving Eve there came a knock at her door. When the mother opened it, there sat a full box of food.  She’d always told her girls they were not poor and should always give thanks to the Lord for His blessings, no matter how many or few they were. But just then she needed food her little family. 

        Opening the food basket she found a freshly dressed chicken, potatoes, beans, rice, flour, canned pumpkin, and - you guessed it - the very jar of peaches she herself had given. Seeing it all, she sat down on the floor and cried. She and her girls would have a fine Thanksgiving meal and food for many days.  “I’ve found you can’t outgive God,” she later told friends. 

        Christians have found this to be true. If we’re in need, God always provides. Maybe not in the way we expect, but when we trust Him He always makes sure we have enough. Jesus promised, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, it will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

        So often Jesus urged His followers, “Have faith!” Whether parents worried about a sick child, disciples needing food to feed a crowd, or someone crippled by disease, Jesus told them to have faith that God would provide. God’s love for us is seen best in His only Son Jesus.

Thank You, dear God, for helping us when we are in need!

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

WHEN HAILSTORMS COME

        We got hail on our house last Saturday. Fortunately, the storm here wasn’t too widespread or lasted very long, but the hailstones were alarmingly large and pounded our roof like angry fists. I’ll never get over my fear of hearing that sound.

        There is little that terrifies a farmer like the sound of large hail. Crops and trees are shredded, roofs and implements damaged and even animals injured. 

Decades ago when the storms came, my father would stand helplessly watching, hands on hips and fervent prayers in his heart. 

        A fifteen minute summer storm could wipe out a whole year’s crop and income. As Dad said, “If you have no crop insurance, you plow and maybe replant. If you do have crop insurance, you put in a claim and take a vacation somewhere else.”

        Life can be filled with problems, so we look for solutions. Yesterday was Pentecost in Christian Churches across the world. Parishioners heard once again the Bible readings that tell of the Holy Spirit who came to infuse the early Christians with abilities they needed to share the faith. We heard again our annual explanation of Who the Spirit is and what His work is all about.

        One of my favorite word pictures for the Holy Spirit is the pipeline. The Spirit brings the Gospel message. The Gospel is the fuel or food, and the Holy Spirit delivers it where it is needed. We human beings may squander the fuel, ignore the food, or even deny its presence, but all to our peril. God, however, brings it to us anyway. He knows we need it. 

        Hailstorms are a part of life. In this sinful world, we can’t stop bad things from happening, but they need not destroy us or our faith in God. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

        Hailstones, tornadoes, fires and storms WILL come, but they need not OVER come us. It is God’s grace and good will that He care for us and give us our needs. “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” He promises in Hebrews 13:5. Even in our darkest hours of storm, pain or despair, God is there beside us, holding our hands. 

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for covering us with Your mercy when storms arise.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com