“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

While visiting churches in Texas recently, at the close of one of the services, I heard someone calling “Rev. Malone!” As I turned to answer, I was surprised to see a man with long unkempt hair, a beard and unwashed clothes. In fact it looked as if he hadn’t had a bath in days and was living on the street.

This man approached me and gave me an offering envelope. He stated that he had placed some money inside and he wanted it divided as he had written on the envelope. That night I had shared about the ministry in India. Then after the service, an announcement was made about the purchase of an electric piano for the church. This man had placed $1.50 in the envelope and designated $1.25 for Malone’s Mission in India and $.25 for the piano.

After having given me the envelope he walked away. I asked one of the church members standing by me about this man. I soon learned that he came fairly regularly on Sunday nights and that they were unable to learn much about him. They had tried to give him money and food, but he refused to accept any help or give them an address where he could be contacted.

I was able to catch him on his way out of church to ask about his relationship with the Lord. I learned that he is truly a believer in Jesus Christ. Upon learning this I asked if I could pray for him and he agreed. When I finished I was amazed that he immediately began to pray for me (eyes open looking around and somewhat timid and shy). After he finished I thanked him and we talked for a moment. I learned that he was intelligent and well read.

I left the service that night encouraged, but at the same time I was feeling a little shameful realizing that you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover. I still have questions:  What would cause a seemingly intelligent person like this man to be in the situation he is in? Why doesn’t he change his situation? Why are we so quick to jump to conclusions about people?

One thing I do know is that God used a homeless man to encourage me and cause me to stop and think before judging someone in the future. One dollar and twenty five cents is small, but it’s a great gift in the eyes of the Lord. Thank you Lord for the encouragement.