As a parent, I can honestly say that there isn’t much higher praise than to be recognized when my kids say and do the right things. So, family, I want to thank you for reflecting your Father in heaven.
From March 6 – 13, we hosted a group of students from His House at Central Michigan University, which was here to minister to the homeless and others in downtown Detroit. The morning they left, their leader simply gushed about how well this body of believers welcomed them into our family and helped with their ministry.
Here are some examples. Melanie Govan brought extra blankets so the students would be warm as they slept in our building. Cathy Andrews and Liz Garofali washed some of their clothes and towels. Debbie Green made a meal for the team one night. They thanked Sue Duncan for the ice cream. They also thanked everyone who gave them their cell phone numbers, just in case they needed anything. While I’m sure that those who offered some help wouldn’t think much of what they had done, the CMU students praised God because of their care.
This has to be the same kind of pride that Paul felt when he wrote 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” Even though our church family members would consider their contributions to be small, the students praised God. Even more than that, while the students felt that their contributions to the homeless in Detroit were small, they reported that the people they helped praised God for their help. I praise God for you, as well, because you have responded to God’s mercy in your lives by sharing some comfort with others who then showed God’s mercy to people who desperately need it.