I Saw Jesus Tonight... In A Grocery Store

Matthew 11, Matthew 25

The preacher whose message I was listening to last night on the radio on the way to the grocery store said there's an eternity of difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. That was a point I focused on in a different way my last post. My day, or should say my last couple days have been a challenge. I had been working on the plumbing under my house replacing two outdoor spigots. They were leaking quite a bit and also needed to be upgraded to non-freezing spigots. This of course required turning off the water to the whole house. As a temporary measure I was only capping off the pipes at this time. The front spigot was fairly straightforward and went quite well. The back spigot was poorly installed as far as being able to replace it with a non-freezing spigot. Outside a deck had been built that barely left room to turn it on and off let alone repair or replace it. Inside a minimum distace of pipe to install the non-freezing spigot was about 15 inches. There was only 8 inches including the elbow that turned the piping upward. It made sense for now to cut off the upward pipe and cap it off, then later install a connection further down the feed pipe for the outdoor spigot. I capped the upward pipe off..., but it leaked. I tried removing the cap and it wouldn't budge. I watched instructional videos, sme several times, but it still wouldn't come off. That was two days before so my water was shut off for two days. There was the day in-between that I went to work and so wasn't able to work on my plumbing at all. But early afternoon the end cap finally came off. I was able to correct the problem and cap the pipe properly. And take a shower.

All this time my mind was working on design and redesign engineering what was needed to make a proper installation. Many of my years of work has been in electronics design, electrical design, and software design. And knowing many facts about various products and other engineering disciplines have been stored away for future reference. So as I listened to the preacher's words on knowing about Jesus as opposed to knowing Jesus it really stood out once again to me. As my readers know I spend quite a lot of time meditating on who Jesus is and what He means to me and what His Word means to me. So in that moment I asked myself once again, Do I know Jesus in that personal relationship with Him, or do I only know a lot about Him? And I prayed, Lord, I need to know that I know You, not just a lot about You. It was about this time I pulled into the grocery store parking lot.

All I needed was some lettuce for a family meal at my middle daughter's home last night. This I quickly found and got in the checkout line. Of course some customers had just a few items when others had shopping carts, baskets, or as they say in the South of the United States “buggies” full. A second line opened and I followed the lady in front of me to the new line. As the counter conveyor cleared I picked up a divider and set it down behind the items of the person in front of the lady in front of me. And I told the lady I didn't want her to have to hold all those things. Since high school when I really saw and heard about girls being talked about and treated badly I purposed to do my best to show women the respect they deserve. And yes, I would have done it for anyone.

I placed another divider on the counter conveyor and put my bag of lettuce down. After the lady paid and left I was getting out my money to pay for the lettuce and the cashier told me that lady had paid for my lettuce. I was surprised, even dumbfounded. What? Why? Outside I caught up within earshot and told her Thank You. She simply said, You're welcome. Have a blessed night. And she left.

As I was thinking on this again this morning the Lord brought to me the question John the Baptist had.

And when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or shall we look for another?

And Jesus answering, said unto them, Go, and shew John, what things ye hear, and see. The blind receive sight, and the halt do walk: the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor receive the Gospel. And blessed is he that shall not be offended in me.

Matthew 11:2-6 GNV

And with Jesus reply might be added, Someone else pays for your food.

Then shall ye king say to them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my father: take the inheritance of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I thirsted, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in unto you. I was naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or a thirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in unto us? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer, and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me.

Matthew 25:34-40 GNV

I saw Jesus last night in the grocery store, and He paid for my food.