The Hopeless Case (Part 1)

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:58; 16:13-14

“Poor Mrs. Bennett,” said Mom. “I think she must be very lonely. She told me last week that all three of her children live across the country with their own families now, so she hardly sees them.”

“Is that the old lady who lives on the corner?” asked Tessa.

Mom nodded. “I’m going to visit her this afternoon. Want to come along?” Tessa hesitated. I’ve always wondered what the inside of her house looks like, she thought. So Tessa decided to go with her mother.

After Mom knocked on Mrs. Bennett’s door, Tessa heard feet shuffling, but the

door didn’t open right away. A shaky voice called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s Meredith Adams,” called Tessa’s mother. “I stopped to talk to you when you were taking your trash out last week, remember? My daughter Tessa and I are here to visit you, and we brought some homemade bread. May we come in?”

After a few seconds of silence, Mrs. Bennett finally opened the door. She invited them in and accepted the bread. They spent the rest of their visit listening to Mrs. Bennett talk angrily about her children. “After all I’ve done for them, they almost never come to see me or even call me,” she complained. “They should all be ashamed of themselves.”

“Wow!” said Tessa as she and Mom headed home. “Let’s not go there again! I think she’s hopeless.”

“Mrs. Bennett is lonely, and she needs Jesus,” said Mom. “Today we took the first step in introducing Him to her.”

“The first step?” Tessa asked. “But we hardly even talked about Him.”

“No, but we listened,” said Mom. “Sharing Jesus with others doesn’t just mean talking to them about God. If you want a person to trust you and listen to what you have to say, you often have to be a true friend first. That’s how we show people what Jesus is like—by loving and caring for them like He does. And don’t forget—Jesus specializes in hopeless cases. So I’ll continue to pray for Mrs. Bennett and go see her again.” Mom looked at Tessa. “Will you join me?”

Tessa shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she said. “I’ll see.” • Jorlyn A. Grasser

How About You?

Do you know someone who doesn’t seem to have any interest in God? Have you
tried being a friend to that person? Perhaps they need to talk to someone and know somebody cares enough to just listen. Maybe an invitation to join you in activities would be welcome. Then, as your friendship develops, you’ll have opportunities to talk about Jesus and how much He loves them.

Today’s Key Verse:
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Share Jesus through friendship