"More Than a Blanket"

 
“Mr. Thomas died yesterday,” Kathy’s mom told her. Kathy, a young person, was surprised to hear that news since their neighbor was only in his forties. He had died suddenly of a heart attack, and now he was gone.
Thankfully, Mr. Thomas knew the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. He had learned from reading the Bible that he was a sinner and that he needed to be saved. He also learned that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:33For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3)), and he accepted God’s gift of “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). Now he is with his Saviour, “which is far better” (Philippians 1:2323For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23)).
What about you? God has not made salvation something hard to understand. The Lord Jesus paid the price for sin when He died on the cross. If you know that you are a sinner and are sorry for your sins, tell Him and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).
Later, after hearing the sad news, Kathy was thinking about what supplies she would need to buy to make fleece blankets for a few friends’ birthdays. She suddenly felt that the Lord would like her to make a blanket for Mrs. Thomas. I don’t really know her, and I don’t know what colors she would like, or if she would even want a blanket, she thought. But she knew that Mrs. Thomas was also a believer, and that made her love Mrs. Thomas, even though she had never met her.
After work that day, Kathy stopped at the fabric store and found fleece for her friends and for Mrs. Thomas. Soon a blanket was sewn up, and one of Kathy’s family members dropped it off at Mrs. Thomas’s house with a card and a plate of cookies.
Not long after, Kathy received a phone call from Mrs. Thomas. She thanked Kathy and said, “It’s more than a blanket to me.” Her heart had been really touched, knowing that someone had made it especially for her and that there were loving prayers going up for her and her family.
The Lord Jesus sees the big picture that we cannot see. A blanket didn’t seem like anything very special, but the Lord used His perfect plan to bring comfort to a widow and to teach them both a loving lesson about His ways.
Have you ever felt in your heart that the Lord Jesus had something for you to do? Even if you are a very young believer, a child, He may have a work of love for you to do. He might tell you it would be nice to pick a handful of wildflowers for your mom or to help her set the table for supper. He might have you help someone by picking up something that was dropped on the floor. You might see somebody who is sad, and the Lord tells you that he or she could use a cheer-up hug. Maybe you know someone who is not saved and you know that the Lord wants you to pray for him or her and to tell that person about the love of the Lord Jesus. God has a reason for everything that He does. Listen to what He has to say to you, and don’t put off doing what He has for you to do. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:1717If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. (John 13:17)).
ML-05/20/2012