Day 279- School Night

Have you ever tried to tell a joke and it bombed. Well, it happens to me all of the time. I walked by an elderly man today sitting on a bench. On his lap was a notebook that looked like something I would bring to school. I told the man that it was a little late to be out on a school night and maybe he should be getting home. The man looked at me as if he may not have understood my poorly timed joke. So I explained to him that the notebook on his lap made him look like he was heading to school. The blank stare that he gave me indicated that he understood the joke and did not find it to be amusing. Since I had just wasted ten seconds of his life I have give him a gift, a penny pressed with the Ten Commandments. He suddenly opened up and we had a great conversation. He told me that he recently was a charismatic Christian but now he is a Baptist. I asked, "Do you know how to be saved?" He said, "Yes, I try to do what is right and try not to do wrong." This is not what the Bible teaches so I responded, "Did you know that the Bible says something different?" It's hard to rebuke someone, but I did not want to part ways without him understanding the way to Heaven. To my surprise he returned with, "I know. You have to repent and believe in Jesus. Some people say they believe but they don't. You have to put your faith in Him with all of your heart." I told him that the penny that I gave him should be a reminder why he needs to believe. I then shared how the Ten Commandments show our need for Jesus because we have broken His laws. He looked at the penny for a second and then said, "I think I will keep this penny."