Friday, July 06, 2007

My Brother Came and Got Me

“So you were a thug, a criminal, a gang-banger type with the scars and bullet to the skull to prove it?”

“Yes.”

“A bullet to the skull?”

“Yes. See? Here’s the scar.”

“So even being shot in the head didn’t make you come to your senses?”

“No, it was something to be proud of, a battle scar.”

“So what did help you come to your senses?”

“Well my brother came and got me and…”

Stop right there. That’s part of a conversation I had with a young minister in Tallahassee. God reached out and pulled him out of an obviously very rough life. But who did God use?

Listen to his words again….

“My brother came and got me…”

At a time when others would have said, “Throw his rear end in jail,” “Lock him up and throw away the key,” his brother said, “I’m going to go get him….”

Now this young man is serving God and the people of our community. But someone had to bring him to Christ.

Would it have been you? Would it have been me?

We need to change how we see these young people. When we see young ruffians, we need to see them through the eyes of Jesus.

Our natural response might be to call the cops, or fight back. But if you really want to fight back, fight back with the love of Jesus.

Don’t look at todays young and restless like strangers, look at them like family. They are blessed and loved creations of our Heavenly Father, just as we are. We need to reach out to them, go and get them, just as if they were our own little brother or sister in trouble.

Remember the parable of the lost sheep? Jesus left the saved and secure behind, and went and got the lost sheep.

Remember the parable of the wedding banquet? The servants were told to go out to the highways and byways and compel them to come.

There is no such thing as a stranger. There are only people waiting for us to come and get them and bring them in.

Be inspired today by the words of a former bad guy…

“My brother came and got me….”

(As heard on Wave 94.1 FM)

dougapple@wave94.com

http://www.wave94.com/

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