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July 7, 2008
Mrs. Pine, God's Servant
by Carol Custer
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly ( Matthew 6:2-4).
When I was 16, my family moved to Phoenix , Arizona for health reasons. My Dad worked for one of the companies that grew vegetables, and I attended Central High and then North High School . We attended Thomas Road Baptist Church and became acquainted with the Pine family. We would get together on Sundays for a meal and visiting. Little did I know that in the future Mrs. Pine would be a great blessing to me.
Three years later, I entered Arizona Bible Institute, located in Phoenix . While I was there, I cleaned houses and worked at a daycare and cooked for the Bible Institute and also did weekly Bible classes. My funds were limited and so I walked everywhere, even to clean houses two or three miles away.
One day I received a call from Mrs. Pine asking me to stop by her home. We had a nice visit and lunch and prayed together, and as I left she put something in my hand and said,ÓLet not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.Ó Since I was walking back to the school on the west side of town, I stuck the wad of money she had given me into my pocket. When I arrived home and looked at the money, it was the exact amount I needed to get personal supplies and pay my bills.
Mrs. Pine is with the Lord now and there is no doubt in my mind that she will be rewarded for encouraging me and will have a part in anything I accomplish in my life. I know she prayed for me and she gave me something to let me know that God had laid my current need on her heart. She was a good example to me.
There are young people all around you. Pray for them individually. Encourage them and let them know that you appreciate them and the difficulties they encounter. Maybe you do not have money to give to them, but perhaps you can give them a meal or whatever the Lord puts on your heart that will let them know that you care about them.
Proverbs 3:27 says, ÒWithhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do itÓ (NKJV).
Sometimes we need to ask the Holy Spirit to make us sensitive to the needs of others.