Meet Anthony. His spirit is so amazingly beautiful. He is homeless, but is is so content with that, because he knows that all he needs is Jesus. Anthony’s story really touched my heart, so i am going to share a good bit of it with you. (:
My church youth group was volunteering at a food drive type thing, this guy started to walk up , and one of the woman from the church running it began to pretty much scream “one of my male leaders i need y’all to get him away, now!” and to us that just was not cool, so our dear Erin and Jeremy went over there and loved on him. He wanted to do no harm. He was just walking along. He had a degree in chemical engineering, and he had a wonderful job working for shell. He ended up getting laid off, and within 48 hours he bottomed out (lost everything). All he has is a backpack and a truck, hes been to 48 states, just telling people about jesus. I am not sure about you, but that is so humbling to me…To go on, we all ended up talking to him, and he asked if anyone had a bible… Our dear Mandy gave him hers, and he opened up to Isaiah 53 and he said that it had been working on his heart.
Isaiah 53:1-13 says:
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors
Then our dear Mandy had a verse on her heart for him to read, it was Isaiah6:4-13…. The moment was beautiful.
The whole situation is so humbling, it really touched me. That night i began to ask Jesus, “What happened today God?” and i began to realize,sometimes you have to be stripped of everything you own to realize that all you really need is Jesus. Here I am, I have everything I need, and everything i want, and even if i say i appreciate it, i may not show it well, And here is Anthony has NOTHING and he is still happy, and hes still serving Jesus.
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOW GOD TO USE YOU?
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