It was a night like any other night. I was outvisiting some of my bus kids making sure they would be riding my bus to SundaySchool on Sunday. I was in a part of town no one would go, but I went gladly.It was what they called a bad neighborhood and told me if you go be out ofthere before it gets dark. Well, it was dark before I went but I went anyways.I talked to a lot of people that night and now it was time to go home. I wentto my car and guess what it didn’t start. Then all of a sudden a man appeared hetold me to pop the hood so I did. He looked and then started pulling wires off;I just stood there and watched. He then looked up at me and asked if I had acertain part. I said I think so; I never got rid of anything. I went to thetrunk and sure enough there was that part. I gave it to the man and then he putall my wires back on and told me to start it up. I turned the key and itstarted right up. I thanked the man and then asked him “how much do I owe you.”He said you don’t owe me anything preach. You the one that comes and gets mylittle girl every Sunday. That has been a long time ago but I still rememberthat night in a part of town I was told not to go, that a man I didn’t knowshowed me an act of kindness. Abraham’s servant was asked to go to Abraham’scountry and get a wife for his son, Isaac. So off he goes when he arrives it isevening and it’s at the time when the women go to draw water. There is a younglady there waiting her time to draw water, after she draws water she startsback home with her jar of water on her shoulder. That is when Abraham’s servantapproaches her and asks for a drink. Without any hesitation she lowers her jarand gives him a drink and he drinks and drinks. Then this young lady saw theneed for this man’s camels and she begins to water them also. Little did thatyoung lady know that on that night that act of generosity would change her lifeas well as the lives of so many other people forever. You read about this younglady by the name of Rebekah in Genesis chapter 24. What is so interesting to meis that Rebekah was generous, not with just giving a little of herself but shealso gave water for the camels of a man she didn’t even know. As I think aboutRebekah I have to ask myself this question “Am I willing to give my time andtalents as well as my treasures to those I don’t know?” Then I have to come face to face with myactions; do I do things expecting something in return or do I do them expectingnothing in return. Rebekah didn’t expect anything in return. She never did itknowing what would happen to her in the future, she just did what she could ata time of need. Today each one of uswill have an opportunity to do some kind act of generosity for someone we don’teven know. It may be just letting them over because they have gotten in thewrong lane. It may be that you see that they are in a hurry and you let them infront of you in line at the grocery store. It could be something as simple astaking the time to push your grocery cart to the proper place so it doesn’thave an opportunity to roll into someone else’s car causing damage after youleave. It might be reaching down and picking up a candy bar at the checkoutline and then giving in to the cashier while smiling at them telling them toeat it on their break time. There are so many ways we can each show kind actsof unselfishness and generosity to others and who knows how God may use you tochange someone else’s life today.
