Human Jumper Cables

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One little light. That's all it took to render our car totally
unusable. The little light in the rear of our vehicle was
left on one night after we unloaded some things, and it
stayed on for several days while we were gone.

When we got back, everything in that car said, "I'm
not starting, pal!" because that one little light totally
drained our battery. But then came the hero - our
friend in his pickup truck with his trusty jumper cables.
And those cables delivered the energy that my flat
old battery needed to run again!

What does it take to get a drained and tired battery
going again? A jolt from jumper cables that infuse
the energy needed to revive it. And what does it
take to get a drained and tired person going again?
Human jumper cables that deliver new energy to
revive them.

I'm guessing that you know someone right now
who is pretty depleted - emotionally, mentally,
maybe spiritually, even physically. When they turn
the key, not much is happening because their battles,
their responsibilities have left them unable to get going
again. That's why God has given us each other. To
be jumper cables for each other when we sense that
someone we know is pretty run down. If you've got
your eyes open for them, you'll see someone in need
of an emotional and spiritual "jump" most every day
of your life.

There's a wonderful example of that in 2 Timothy
1:16-18, our word for today from the Word of God.
This is the last letter Paul ever wrote. He's away from
most of his friends, he's locked up in Caesar's prison
in Rome, and he knows he may never leave there alive.
And in fact, he won't. Then along comes an unsung
hero named Onesiphorus, and he is God's jumper
cables to help the great apostle find the energy to
go on. Listen to Paul's testimony and think about
how you can be this for someone you know:
"May the Lord show mercy to the household
of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed
me and was not ashamed of my chains ...
When he was in Rome, he searched hard
for me until he found me."

When you're one of God's jump starters, you
wake up in the morning and you say, "Lord,
show me who needs me today." Then you
look for, even go out of your way if necessary,
to call that person who needs encouragement,
to write them, e-mail them, visit with them,
or just stop and take time with them.

It's almost always a sacrifice to do that because
of all the things you have to do. But you may
have nothing more important to do than this
extension of Jesus' love to someone who's
really depleted. Your joy can jump start theirs.
Your praying in faith can jump start theirs.
Your affirmation of their value and their
significance can jump start them believing
it again themselves. Your belief in them can
re-energize their courage to get back in the
ring for another round. Your reminder of
who they really are to God and to you may
be just the spiritual jolt they need to get going
again.

You may say, "Yeah, well, I need someone
to jump start me!" You're thinking a lot lately
about your burdens, your problems, and your
feelings. The greatest way to get out of your
pit is to reach out and help someone else
get out of theirs. Proverbs 11:25 says: "He
who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

You have what someone needs today to get
started again. Don't just cruise on by, oblivious
to the needs right in front of you. "Lord, show
me who needs me today." That's the prayer
that will make you the conduit to deliver the
resources of God to someone who can't go
on without them. You are His jumper cables!

Ron Hutchcraft http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/

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