Inspiration for Witnessing in Your Community

In Romans 13:9, Paul writes: “For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And in Colossians 4:5 he says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”

I got a wake-up call this morning while watching ‘SB Mowing’ when the ‘call’ came!

Spencer is a lawn care and pressure washer specialist with a bachelor’s degree in computer science who lives in Kansas. He looks for grossly overgrown yards, gets permission or talks with neighbors, and then he cleans everything up for free! He videos the clean-up and posts it on his platforms. He does this because it is fun (?) and he enjoys giving back to the community.

Spencer’s videos are fun to view and the transformations make you want him to come to your house even if your yard looks great. But it wasn’t the video that woke me up, it was the comments! Of course, some folks wanted to know why the neighbors hadn’t helped keep the yard in shape in the first place (some homes are abandoned). Others said, “There is a church right across the street. Couldn’t the members see the mess and do something about it?” Didn’t they care?

Wow! Look at the witness Christians could be in our church neighborhoods if we looked around for simple fixes to do for our neighbors! What a witness to a single mom, elderly man, or busy college student, if God’s people took time to help rather than turning a blind eye.

Jesus is quoted in Matthew 25:40, as saying: “And the King said I will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’” Another Modesto church is advertising a Neighborhood Family Fun Day. I hope the neighbors stop by and have an enjoyable time. But I wonder if a church workday in the neighborhood would be a better witness. Just sayin’.