In the summer of 1965, my folks gave me a blue Volkswagen (Bug). I loved that car. It was so much fun to drive. It was a simple car. It came with an AM radio and air conditioning. Everything else was manual…that included the transmission. I didn’t need jumper cables when the car would not start. All I needed was a road sloping downhill or a couple of  flat-belled young men to push me just fast enough so I could “Pop-the-Clutch.” Popping the clutch turned the motor over enough to start.

Sometimes the people around us need someone to come along and give them a gentle push so they can “Pop-the-Clutch” in their life. This is what Paul was instructing us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

So how do we do that? Be ready for God’s opportunities. That means before your feet hit the floor in the morning, thank God for how He has Blessed your life. Ask Him to give you the clarity and words for the opportunities. And then respond with confidence that He will provide what you need when you need it. BAM! It’s just that simple. Of course, you need to be studying God’s Word daily because the Holy Spirit will recall scriptures for those special moments.

It’s long about now that people begin to say, “Robert, that’s what my pastor does. I have not been to seminary…I couldn’t do that!” Think about this. Did Jesus pick preachers & church leaders to carry the “Good News” into the world? No, they were just ordinary people that fell in love with their Savior and wanted to serve Him. Paul speaks directly to this in 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” I’m so glad I meet the criteria.

And here is the exciting part, they were not alone and neither are you & I. Jesus promised His Disciples and all His followers the difference-maker, the Holy Spirit. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26. It’s the same Holy Spirit that will bring ideas to your heart and words to your mouth at precisely the right moment. It is the same Holy Spirit who gives me ideas and words to write every edition of Today’s Good News.

Look around. Everywhere you go you will see troubled, anxious people. People that need Jesus. Give them a smile. Start a conversation. Show them that they are important. If the Holy Spirit prompts you, ask if you could pray for them and even invite them to church. Please know, God is presenting you with His opportunities to be obedient. Help someone Pop Their Spiritual Clutch.

So, with the words of Paul, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Jesus is calling…