“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” Colossians 3:1-2,15.
I walked into Walgreens last week when a young man asked for 30 seconds of my time after I finished shopping. I said, “Sure,” and made my way in to finish my errands. While I was in the store I decided whatever he was asking, I would give $5 to his cause, wish him a “Merry Christmas,” and go on my way.
When I walked out, I noticed the “Doctors Without Borders” sign on his table. He said, “Sir, do you still have a moment to talk?” I said, “Yes. Tell me what Doctors Without Borders is doing.” Then he leaned in and quietly said, “I can talk to you over here” (away from the table). It was an interesting request in the moment.
Now his appearance could have given me pause–he was tattooed, and many probably would have described him as a “gang-banger.” But a peace was present and nudged me to step over and hear what he had to say. He started saying, “I’m good at my job.” He repeated it three or four times. The first couple were for me, the others seemed to be to himself.
As he said it, he turned away from me, when he turned back he had tears in his eyes. He said he had been out here for hours, and no one would stop to talk with him. No one was even saying hello or giving a holiday greeting. He said, “They don’t even want to see me.”
He told me his job, creating awareness and signing up monthly donors (for $8 a month), was a promotion and reward for doing so well on his previous assignment. He loved the organization and the mission. And as eager as he was to share it, he was equally as defeated by the rejection he was feeling. I learned he is a brother in Christ and attends one of the larger churches in our area.
We spoke for another few minutes. He cried. We prayed and exchanged phone numbers. I invited him to lunch this week. I don’t know what will come from it, but I do know that I was given an opportunity to have my day interrupted and the Lord burst through. What I thought was gonna be a $5 interaction cost me so much less, but offered so much more.
Daily Battle Order:
Kingdom Man, everyday, the Father gives us opportunities to rise above ourselves and immerse our heart in His body, with His mind. But fear, timing, and past experience often harden us into a sense of self-preservation and blind us to the peace and joy of love and action (Love Does).
Today, be open and sensitive to the prompting and opportunity. Stop and listen to the first stranger who asks you for a bit of your time today.
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Please receive this Christmas Present from TJC:
We join you in celebrating the amazing gift of our Savior, who became like us, so we could become more like him.
We want to personally thank you for being part of The Joshua Commission in 2023. This year, we focused on deep change in our lives and building great men out of conflict. We expanded that theme into our Battlefield Campaigns at Chickamauga, Manassas, and Gettysburg. Our Daily Battle Orders have taken us on a journey through every book of the Bible, concluding this April.
The Daily Battle Orders for the rest of 2024 will then focus on our very first ministry, in our homes and community. We will dive deep into becoming better disciple-makers as husbands, parents, mentors, and neighbors. We will be introducing new battlefield programs that will then include our wives, children, and family as our first line of responsibility which must be done together as family and community.
Our gift to you this Christmas is a free registration to join us on a Battlefield for your spouse or family member. When registering for one of the Battlefields, please use GIFT2024 as a coupon code to register that person.
We are very fortunate to offer this gift to your family through the generosity of dedicated and generous donors who know and help expand our ministry. We invite you to help extend our outreach by donating so others may be gifted through this link:
Our Daily Battle Orders reach several thousand readers each day, and several hundred men have joined us on a Battlefield. We pray our gift to you this Christmas will be used and loved as you join us in person in 2024.
From everyone in The Joshua Commission, we pray and share with you a wish for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Via TJC
This message was right on time and very much needed. Thank you!