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Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.           - Hebrews 13:16

There I was, in bitter cold weather, with insufficiently warm clothes.

The morning was Black Friday, the time was 4:30 a.m., and I was standing outside Lowe's because they promised a free bucket with gifts for the first 50 members to enter the doors that opened at 6:00. I was #30 in line! 

Since I was "numbered among the elect" in that queue, I found that the promise of gifts did not come without a price. If I had put on warmer shoes and bothered to bring gloves, that price would have been substantially lower!  My feet and hands were not doing well. My hoodie ensured that my lack of a stocking hat was counted among my great sacrifices. 

As I stood there, praying while those around me were talking, I began to listen to the people in front of me. There were two people - one male and one female - that seemed to be a few years older than me. They talked about how hard things were, "back in the day." The lady, however, was on a cane and she - like me - did not dress for the weather. She rocked back and forth as the cold wreaked havoc on her. She was paying a higher price for her bucket than I was!

But, about 3 people in front of her, was a young man that knew her from somewhere (I didn't catch were). Noticing that she didn't have gloves, he offered her his. She gladly accepted. As minutes passed, the younger man picked up an insulated mug of (probably warm, or mildly hot) coffee. Seeing the lady trying to stay warm, he offered his cup to her. She - against the wisdom of all public health standards of today - accepted and drank something to keep her warm. 

What a great example of giving! I don't know if the young man was a follower of Jesus or not, but his clothes and the company he kept with those around him led me to believe that he was a contractor of some kind. He was in line to get a refrigerator that was marked down from $1600 to $700. He saw a good deal and he meant to capitalize on it! The bucket seemed to be secondary to him. 

But there was one twist - the first 50 members were also given an envelope. In that envelope was either a 20% off coupon or - for one winner out of the fifty - a gift certificate for $2,000 of free appliances from the store.

And wouldn't you know it - that young man (I think he was #25 in our line) was the winner! 

I think of how God rewards those who genuinely follow him. He blesses the seeds we plant in his name - and he blessed this young man with much more than a Black Friday deal on a refrigerator. Of all the negative converstaions going on around me, this one young man stood out by his selfless generocity. And his generocity in this world resulted in a reward on-the-spot. 

This Christmas season, never forget generocity in the name of Jesus! Not an investment with a "contractual guarantee" of a great earthly reward, but humble giving to those who are in need of means and a Savior!