I met Tommy at a local coffee shop. He was playing solitaire – like, with an actual deck of cards. I sat down at a table next to him. He asked me what time it was. Then he asked what day it was.

At one point he leaned over and asked if I had a calculator. I pulled out my phone and asked him what equation he needed to be solved. He said, “I want to know the exact amount of B²⁵.”  I thought to myself, “I’m gonna need to turn my calculator sideways for this one.” I asked him what number B represented, but he wasn’t sure.

Tommy told me he slept in the bushes last night. The temperature dropped close to the freezing point. I can’t imagine how cold he must have been.

I asked Tommy if he was hungry, then walked with him to the counter and let him order whatever he wanted. I paid for his meal and then gave him some cash so he could have a few more meals. He thanked me and then he gave me a hug.

When you meet someone’s immediate needs, you are that much closer to meeting their deepest need.

I didn’t meet Tommy’s deepest need today, but I met an immediate need. The truth is, only Jesus can meet a person’s deepest need, but one thing I can do is give people Hope.

In his famous “sermon on the mount” Jesus revealed the kind of conversation that will one day occur between Him and His faithful followers.

The King will say, “for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Mt. 25:35-40, NKJV).

Do you want to give somebody Hope today?

• Engage your hands. Look for opportunities to minister to people in practical ways.
• Engage your heart. Live an authentic life for Jesus.
• Engage your head. Learn how to answer life’s questions by studying God’s word and compassionately applying it to real life.

You are most fulfilled when you give yourself to others. Today is a good day to give somebody Hope!