Wednesday, July 4, 2001
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,
fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
The first person they encountered after this discovery was the waitress who served them in a
nearby restaurant. She apologized for giving them such slow service and said she was new in the
city and miserable. They invited her to visit them in their apartment after work. A neighbor who
was a widower became the second person they befriended. Soon a dozen people were meeting
once a week for conversation and prayer.
Out of these meetings grew a project called "Adventures in Friendship." Soon scores of people
were involved in visiting the lonely and the shut-ins throughout the whole area. There was an
interesting by-product of this ministry. Mary and Harold became so absorbed in the needs of
others that they soon forgot their own troubles. Their lives became immeasurably richer and fuller.
(John
15:16
NRSV)
Catherine Marshall once told about a couple named Mary and Harold Brinig. Mary and Harold
moved to Chicago many years ago. They had no friends in Chicago. While seeking help from the
Bible, they saw these words of Jesus: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you
that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide." Somehow that passage became
like light penetrating their darkness. They realized that much of their unhappiness was caused by
self-centeredness. They also wondered what type of service they could possibly perform in such a
big city as Chicago.
Dear God, show me the way to share your love, so it will become richer in my own life.
Amen.
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