try

This Week Bob Young is guest hosting and his topic is….TRY.  Bob has his own experience with this I know he will share but it quickly reminded me to TRY!!!

TRY, yes in my view it’s one of the ‘keys’ to the Kingdom, Jesus said we would get in Matthew 16:18-19; “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[d] in heaven.”

Let me explain with this story when I didn’t think I could help a participant in the Jesus Labor of Love (car repair for Families in crisis). We had a single mom in Kentucky, (where I know no one), so all I could do was just TRY and make some calls.

Doug’s Tire in Shelbyville, Kentucky had agreed to try and fix the car but Doug’s told me that the car needed to be towed and there was only one wrecker service in town and there was no way he would tow it for free. “Go get a tow truck for Me.” Jesus said and if anyone asks why you are getting it tell them, “the Lord has need of it.”

“What, you can’t be serious no one will listen to that, will they?” hmmm, I wondered.

Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking that day in Bethphage in Luke 19: when Jesus told them to go and get the donkey, just loose it and if anyone asks….tell them, “the Lord has need of it”? Back then they ‘hung’ donkey thieves, like stealing somebody’s Cadillac. Perhaps one of the two thieves on the crosses beside Jesus had stolen a donkey. This was in no way a small matter to take a donkey but it went down just like Jesus told them. Which, by the way Paul knew this key to the Kingdom as well.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV) 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

The Greek translation for that says, “you can have a donkey or a tow truck for every good work.”

A few years ago God laid it on my heart to start the Jesus Labor of Love ministry, (Free car repair labor for single moms, widows and families in crisis.) Usually the opportunities to help are in places we have the radio show and lots of volunteers, but every now and then we get one where we have to seek that abundance.

This was the case in Shelbyville and when faced with this road block some how God reminded me I have the keys to the Tow Truck/Kingdom. So I decided to give Terhune Wrecker Service a call. My first call I started to ask him for the tow and as he understood I needed a free tow he put me on hold for a long time perhaps thinking I might go away. When he finally came back on the line he asked me to call back later, (I would imagine another attempt to get me to go away.) So I called back a few hours later, I could tell he wasn’t exactly thrilled I called. This time after a short explanation he reiterated, “so you expect me to tow this car for free?”

“Yes, sir that’s what she needs.”  I responded

“If I do this will you leave me alone and never call back?” Was his frustrated answer.

“By all means, thank you, thank you.” And I gave him the address to pick up the car.

The next day was Friday and the Lord put it on my heart to call Terhune’s back to make sure I got his name right because I wanted to give him a shout out the next day on my show so at least he would get some national exposure for his act of kindness.

I knew by the sound of his voice when he knew who I was that he felt I was back for more then his whole demeanor changed when I told him I wanted to give a shout out to his Wrecker Service.

To me the best part of this story was what happened the next day. I gave the shout out and explanation for what had happened early in the hour long show mentioned Doug’s Tire and Terhune’s Wrecker Service. Then almost at the end of the show I saw I had a call from Greensboro, NC.

The caller went on to explain that they had grown up in Shelbyville and knew Mr. Terhune so when I told the story they had called Mr. Terhune and thanked him for giving the aide.

Unfortunately the car ended up having a blown engine and not repairable but a local church helped the single mom in need. The part I won’t know till I get to heaven is what Mr. Terhune thought when he herd from his friend in Greensboro, no doubt for me I was re-learning my ability to use the Kingdom Keys.

It took a few hard knocks before I new knew the Key I had received. Three weeks before Christmas a couple of years ago I received a request from a lady in Forth Worth, Texas. The first challenge was that we don’t have a station in that market nor any repair centers. The bigger challenge was that her car was wrecked having been towed to sit in her driveway, the fender bent so the wheels won’t turn and the front end smashed so that even the battery was crushed. Knowing that we at least needed a battery to get it started to find out what else it may need, I called a fairly famous battery company located there in Dallas hoping to have a battery donated. It took them two weeks to turn me down and I was furious at both them and God. Praying along those lines and shaking my fist a bit at God, He responded with, “Robby if you care so much about helping this lady, why don’t you help her?”

God was about to show me how this Key works. I simply goggled body shops close to the ladies home and called the first on the list. I was delighted when a lady answered and I told her I was with the Jesus Labor of Love, free car repair labor for single moms and widows. She said I would have to speak with the owner and she immediately went to get him. He answered in a very Texas drawl, “Do you mean to tell me that you talk about Jesus Christ on the Radio?”.

Not know what may be coming next I answered, “Yes sir we are even called the Jesus’ Labor of Love.” I went on to explain the ladies predicament and that I understood it was now only a few days before Christmas that if he could just go and look and see what it may need that perhaps I could find some donors to help by a battery and help pay for the repairs.

I will never ever forget his response. “You know son there are things a lot more important than money. I go to that ladies house and I’ll have her on the road today!” Having been a body shop manager at one time I thought there was no way but hey, I loved his enthusiasm. I gave him the address.

Later that day I received a call from the single mom, our friend with the body shop did have her on the road and he had himself bought her a new battery. The Key I feel is much as the disciples told the owner of the donkey the lord rode into Jerusalem on. Simply put when you know a good work that needs doing ask whoever administers the resources needed with a pure intention and authority, “The Lord has need of it”. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.