He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Everyday People

by Carolyn K. Erwin

Everyday he walks the streets
head down low with no place to go
looking for life with meaning
around every corner;
but every corner looks just like the next.

What's it gonna take for him to shake
years of neglect from his clothes?
"Hey brother, can you spare a dime," he pleads
as he holds out his hand for the hundredth time.
Until he gets enough to buy the wine
that eats a hole in his aspirations
and leaves him on the street stone cold.
Just sober enough to face another day.

But for him a new day never dawns.
It's the same old day repeated 364 times,
new street corner, different part of town.
For someone going nowhere fast,
boy, he sure gets around.

I wonder what goes on inside his head?
If he keeps on living like this
he'll end up dead,
sooner than he wants to be.
But is that so bad?
At least, he'll be out his misery.

You see people like him on the street everyday
and what do you think?
Do you say, "Gee that guy sure stinks.
He should go somewhere and take a bath."
Excuse me, you can run your mouth
but not lend a hand to help
someone whose fallen so low down
he can't pick his own self up.
Instead of criticizin,' try apologizin'
for your glad it ain't me attitude.

Aren't you the one Jesus saved
from a deep, dark pit?
Put clothes on your back,
shoes on your feet
and made you Kingdom fit?

So now you walk around
eyes cast down
pretending not to see
the misery that surrounds you.

Oh what, you too cute
to give a brother the time of day?
How long would it take
to share the Good News and pray
for God to deliver him by his grace,
put him back on his feet,
in his rightful place.

He's an heir to the Kingdom
just like you.
Different strokes for different folks.
We're all just everyday people
in need of Jesus everyday.

God bless you

"God bless you." People say this to each other all the time particularly after a sneeze. It probably never occurs to most of them that these words can unleash the power of God into a person's life. Are some people really able to command blessing on other people just by speaking it? The answer is, yes.

Funny how most people will accept "God bless you" from a total stranger without even thinking about what it means or the significance behind it? All they know is that it sounds like a good thing and makes them feel special.

But there's more behind the words, God bless you, than you think. God's blessings have power to change lives. When you say, "God bless you" to someone, you are inviting God to bestow his favor on them. Here's what that looks like:

In biblical terms, to bless is to declare God’s truth into someone’s life and to announce God as the gracious, sovereign Lord who intends to flood His children with goodness and joy. When we pronounce a blessing, we serve as witness to the truth that God’s generosity and power have by no means been extinguished. --- In-Touch magazine

Most people will admit that the thought of being blessed by God is a good thing, whether they think they deserve it or not. Few people realize, however, that God 's blessings don't depend on how deserving a person is. God blesses everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. That's just his nature. The Bible says:

The Father who is in the heavens causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. --- Matthew 5:45 

God looks upon his creation with love, and more than anything, his blessings are simply the way that he shows it. The common understanding of being blessed by God is that we receive good things from Him. People often say that they feel blessed in response to the good things that happen in their lives. Blessed because they got the job they wanted, or maybe, got out of debt; blessed because they got into the college they wanted on a scholarship; blessed because they were healed from a serious illness or maybe, survived a deadly accident; blessed that the bullet just missed...and the list goes on. 

God makes no secret of the fact that his blessings are meant to win over the hearts of everyone he desires to come to him. His blessings serve to remind us of how good he is.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness'. --- Jeremiah 31:3

Perhaps, the blessing behind the blessings is that God offers forgiveness even when we sin and turn our backs on him. The Bible makes it plain that Jesus came to earth to offer humankind the way back to God. That's why when Jesus was asked why he spent so much time hanging around with sinners, he answered:

 It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. --- Luke 30-33
God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

Anyone can pronounce a blessing, but God gives those who believe in him special authority to use his name to bless others. Next time someone sneezes in your presence, smile and ask their name. If they comply, now you can make it personal, "God bless you, Carolyn." Hopefully, when you say or hear those words from now on, you'll think about the real blessing behind them, embrace the practice and share your new insight with someone who doesn't know the God behind every blessing. 

God, I need your blessing on my life today. I realize that my sins have separated me from you and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as your sacrifice for my sins. I ask Jesus to come into my life right now and help me to live for you from this day forward.

Leave a comment if you would like prayer, or go to peacewithgod.net if you would like someone to pray with you. Be blessed.