The Leftovers - Martin Wiles

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them. Romans 1:5 NLT

He lumbered through the door, meandered to the bar, and stood silently.

My wife and I were doing our normal Tuesday night thing: eating with Mom and my stepfather at a local downtown restaurant. We had finished our meal and tucked our leftovers into a carry-out plate. Now we waited for Mom to finish. As we waited and talked, an elderly man entered the establishment and approached the bar where the owner, a waiter, and a waitress stood. He asked for nothing but the restroom, but his eyes and clothing told his story.

After he returned from the bathroom, the owner offered him a cup of water. We watched his eyes drool over every tray of food the waiter and waitress delivered to patrons. Finally, he sat at an empty booth, a cup of water in hand. 

“He’s hungry. Give him our box of leftovers,” my wife whispered.

I have a habit of praying for opportunities to demonstrate God’s love, but then not seeing them. Thankfully, my wife helps my eyesight.

“You remember what happened last time we tried that,” I said.

A few years back, we’d attempted to help a local homeless man, only to have him curse us and tell us to feed our food to the dogs.

“This guy is different,” my wife commented.

I handed her the box of leftovers as we rose to leave. She took them to the gentleman. Before she could finish asking if he wanted them, he reached out, grabbed the box, and thanked us.

“You know what the Bible says about attending angels unawares,” my wife said as we walked out the door.

Paul had experienced God’s grace on the road to Damascus. His life was forever changed, but enough grace was leftover for him to share with the Gentiles. And he did.

I’m not overly fond of leftovers—and my wife is even less so. Some throw out leftovers, others give them to pets, and still others share them with friends or family members.

When we experience God’s grace, we always have leftovers, and God expects us to share them with others. The way we do so varies, but doing so is urgent because hungry people are everywhere.

Find ways to share God’s leftover grace.

Prayer: Father, thank You that Your grace is more than enough for us and everyone else.

Tweetable: How do you feel about leftovers? 

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Serving the Least - Martin Wiles

I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! Matthew 25:40 NLT

He pushed a buggy and always appeared to be in a hurry.

“I hate to throw away all those leftovers,” my wife said as we sat at the supper table.

Cooking for two people is challenging, and she had prepared too much for our New Year’s meal. We had eaten leftovers twice and still had more to consume.

“What would be wrong with me warming the leftovers up for the homeless man down the street,” she asked.

“Nothing,” I replied, seeing her big heart explode with moisture in her eyes.

Recently, two homeless men had moved into our area. One stayed in a small shack by a local business. So my wife warmed up the leftovers and placed them in several to-go plates. We pulled up to his shack and told him we had some food for him. His response puzzled us.

“You can take it and give it your dogs,” he muttered as he shook his head back and forth.

“But, it’s home-cooked food,” my wife protested.

Her pleading did no good. He became more irritated and made more demeaning remarks. He wanted money to buy his own food but would not take ours. Perhaps he was mentally challenged. Perhaps he feared we were trying to poison him.

“Just leave,” I finally told my wife. And we did as he continued to rant and rave at us.

Jesus lists the thirsty, hungry, prisoners, naked, strangers, and sick among those we should serve in His name, but He never said our efforts would be easy, convenient, or always accepted with warmth and appreciation.

Having this encounter with this one homeless man would make it easy for me to stereotype all homeless people. Instead, I prayed for him that night, asking God to soften his heart towards people who might try to help him. And when God prompts us, my wife and I will help again.

God judges my motives, not the people’s response who I try to assist. He holds me accountable for doing the right thing whether others appreciate it or not. And doing the right thing always feels right because it is the right thing to do. God’s love cannot be contained in a body. It must flow to others as God designed it to.

Tweetable: Don’t let fear, inconvenience, or bad experiences keep you from spreading God’s love.

Prayer: Father, give us opportunities to serve the least of this world, realizing we could be where they are. 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Those Dangerous Leftovers

I enjoy leftovers, but left over for too long they become dangerous . . . even deadly.

Leftover defines itself. Generally speaking, the word refers to food. In my opinion, some foods are tastier as leftovers than when originally cooked. But food left over for too long can spoil and in turn spoil one’s stomach. Read more...

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