A Call for Action

I got to actually give Jesus a cup of coffee yesterday.

Yes, Jesus.

You see, for over a year now, I've been giving out coffee to day laborers weekly. You never know what's going to happen as you walk along Business 29 on a weekday morning. Some mornings I get into some great conversations. Other mornings, the only outward transaction is a "Gracias" for the coffee, and a "Bendición" for their often fruitless search for employment.

But this is only the outward appearance. There is something else that is given besides a cup of Joe. There is acceptance. There is hope. There is love. Jesus said that whenever we serve another, we have served Him.

But there’s the question; who are these “others”? Are the “others” only people who think, look, and believe like me, or is it possible that they may be different? Are they strangers or friends? Can we relate to them, or do we believe that they're completely foreign to us? Do we avoid or embrace them? Is "all of the above" an answer?

Anyways, as I walk along the road and give out coffee, I sometimes think of what I am trying to accomplish by my actions. Am I making a difference in the lives of these people? How much does a cup of coffee help fight the cold chill of a winter morning? What is God up to with all this anyways?

Over time, I get some answers. I hear of friends who have been spurred on to show love in practical ways in their sphere of influence. I feel the pleasure of God (not for doing good deeds, but rather for obeying His call upon my life).

Yesterday, I saw the hands of a day laborer, raw with wind and cold, trembling as he held a cup that soon filled with steaming coffee.

He asked me in English, “What is your name?”

“Joe,” I replied. “What’s yours?”

“My name is Jesus.”


Who are people that God puts on your mind? Why do you think they come to mind so often? What can you do to show love to these people? What do they need? How can you spur others on towards acts of love and good works?


Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.