Spiritual Food

I just saw a homeless man standing on the side of a four-way intersection with a sign saying “Please help. God bless.” I was unable to stop on the side of the street to give him any money because traffic was moving fast. So I pulled over into a nearby plaza, parked, got out and walked over to him.

I greeted him and gave him all the money that I had in my wallet, which wasn’t much. Only a few dollars. He said thanks and introduced himself to me as Chuck, 76 years old, with no close family. I introduce myself to him. I asked him if he had eaten today and he said yes. He prayed to God, and God sent someone to him earlier to give him food. I asked him how did he get on the streets. He told me it wasn’t due to drugs, gambling, being an ex felon, or anything negative that people would think that causes people to go homeless. He had a really great job, a house, a Mercedes and was independent. But then he got into a really bad accident, which crippled him and caused him to lose his job. He was unable to pay his medical bills or any other bills, so they repossessed all of his material assets instead.

I asked him if he wanted me to help him get into a shelter. He said no, he has been to shelters and has heard the testimony of many other homeless people that go to shelters. He said the shelters are worse than living on the street. People in the shelter are in close confinement, get each other sick easily, have strict curfews, restrictions on what you can do, and the shelters are filled with maniacs, drunkards, and drug addicts. Not a great atmosphere for someone looking for peace or to avoid negativity. He said everyone is in survival mode and steals from you in the shelter but he doesn’t run across many thieves on the street.

I then ask him if he believed in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. I told him I was a pastor, and if he had not accepted the Lord, I wanted to pray with him to receive Christ. He told me he was already saved, and shared the gospel with me as proof.

He said being homeless and having to literally trust God to be his provider for daily bread is what caused him to grow in faith and become a Christian. He said although he no longer has the convenience of life, he has eternal life and is living a free life without being in debt to anyone.

But he did want me to talk with him about God for encouragement. So I stood on the corner for half an hour to preach the word of God to him. Telling him about righteous living, strategies for gaining victory over the evil one, and keeping the hope alive for Christ’s second coming. He had several Bible questions for me about the triune nature of God, heaven, resurrection, the glorified bodies of the saints, etc. that I was able to answer.

After ministering to him, I asked if he wanted me to grab him something else to eat or go to the bank to give him some more money. He said no. He said you have done more than enough. He doesn’t want any money from me. He just wanted someone to stop and talk to him. Many people give him natural food, but not many people give him spiritual food. He said he was full with the word of God and that alone brought him joy. He said of all the people who brought him food and money, or took him somewhere to take a bath, I’ve made his day by simply sharing the word of God and praying with him.

Say a special prayer for Chuck, one of God’s sons. ❤️🙏🏾