Make Me Like Joe....

There are so many people in the world that would rather be served than to be a servant, but I believe God is seeking those who have a servant's heart toward the Lord.

 

Before Jesus was going to be crucified, He was with His disciples and wanted to show them by example how they should treat one another and so Jesus Christ, the creator of heaven and earth and all mankind; began to wash the feet of each of His disciples. Jesus didn't think it was beneath Himself to wash their feet, but wanted to leave an example for each of us and show that is it better in God's eyes to serve others rather than to be served ourselves.

 

This story shows how caring for and serving others, shows the love of God through us and the end result will be bringing people closer to God, which is what we all should be doing. I it speaks to your heart.

 

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Joe was a drunk who was miraculously converted at a Bowery mission.  Prior to his conversion, he had gained the reputation of being a dirty wino for whom there was no hope, only a miserable existence in the ghetto. But following his conversion to a new life in Christ, everything changed.

 

Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known.  Joe spent his days and nights hanging out at the mission, doing whatever needed to be done.  There was never anything that he was asked to do that he considered beneath him.  Whether it was cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick alcoholic or scrubbing toilets after careless men left the men's room filthy, Joe did what was asked with a smile on his face and seeming gratitude for the chance to help.  He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wondered off the street and into the mission, and to undress and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves.

 

One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering his evening evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the alter and knelt to pray, crying out to God to help him change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, "Oh God! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!"

 

The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man "Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, 'Make me like Jesus.'"

 

The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, "Is he like Joe?"

 

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What a great testimony it is unto the Lord that people will come to Jesus because of the positive affect that we had on their lives.

 

Love and be compassionate towards everyone that you come into contact with and let the light that is within you shine where people will be drawn to you because of that love and non-judgmental attitude.

 

Jesus says in John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."