A few years ago, a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. The convention lasted all week, and all the salesmen had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner.
As they hurried to the airport to catch their return flight, they rushed down the airport’s corridor with their briefcases in hand. In their rush, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.
Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all continued running so they would make their plane.
All but one.
He stopped after running a few more yards, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of
compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did.
The 16-year-old girl running the apple cart was totally blind. She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display.
As he did this, he noticed that many of the apples had become battered and bruised; these he
set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?”
She nodded through her tears.
He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister…..”
He paused and turned to look back into her blind eyes.
She continued, “Are you Jesus?”
He gasped for a breath. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?”
Do people mistake you for Jesus?
That’s our call, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world–shopping, working, reacting to others that are serving us—that is blind to His love, life and grace.
If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It’s actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.
You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Let us live like we are worth the price He paid.
This message breaks my heart
Used this wonderful story to end my Sunday night sermon, and will use it again tomorrow (Friday) with two seniors services (one at an Assisted Living Center, and the other at a Senior Apartments building). Some great hymns turn this message into a service — Higher Ground, I Want to Be Like Jesus, and O to Be Like Thee! Scripture used is Romans 12:1-2. The devotional story is presented with the simple title, “Are You Jesus?”
A friend of mine emailed me the apple cart…..
Such food for thought. ….Do we want to live our lives like the Salespeople who were able to board the plane or THE ONE salesperson who did something different
How do you want to be remembered in this lifetime
I cried when I first read this story on a friends wall on facebook. we really have to let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us by the world.
This is really awesome. It speaks volumes. May I be like Jesus.
What if Jesus was too busy for us ? Or didn’t take a minute to help us ! Where would we be ???
WOW! Are you Jesus?
Let the world see in your life, show them love they can not
dennie. Lord Jesus help me let Jesus be seen in me.
Thank you all Worship.com. Do you have a daily devotion?
When I read this message, tears began to well up in my eyes! This message is so timely, because it’s important for us to get out of ourselves, and get into what Jesus did, give of Himself. He paid the price for what we have, so why not… Give it away! To God be the Glory!
Thank you so much ! For Again my spirit is touch and soul lift to the message. MAY GOD BLESSE YOU!!!
Thanks God for this timely, inspiring insight, reminding every believer in the Lord Jesus to check ourselves how we show the world of our actions no matter what the circumstances are. God is great to remind us that He should be seen in us in order that He will be glorified. Glory to God!
“WONDERFUL!” A Major Blessing To Read 🙂 Be LIFTED HIGH LORD JESUS! YOU ARE SO WORTHY! THANK YOU FOR THE PRICE YOU PAID FOR ALL OF OUR BRUISED AND BROKEN APPLES! you are so worthy! …..
I do always appreciate all thought-provoking messages getting from you. some of these messages I have shared with others. May Almighty God continue to empower you.
Meanwhile, I will appreciate more if this message can be received in full like before without re-directing one to the website to get the full message. This will help to forward the message to many others who may not have time to visit the web page. Thank you
What a message! So apt. Wish I could live like Jesus. Wish I could be a beacon to others.
What an amazing story. This, when narrated correctly will make every witnessing ‘venture’ a success.
Thank you for sharing, even though I have read this story before, it still left me with tears cause of the meaning behind it, I pray that the difference in our lives must always be Jesus.
Have a blessed day!
Great message! How often Christians forget to think or imagine what it must be like to walk in someone else’s shoes, what it must be like to be blind, to be poor, to be disabled, the list goes on. This man got Jesus message, to love thy neighbour as thyself. What a great act of love! The world would be a much better place if only we behaved in a selfless manner like this man and like Jesus. Thank you!
Encouraging message
Awesome message! Thanks so much!
We are indeed the apple of His eye.
May the world see EVER MORE of Jesus in us each day!
Wow,so touching.People know us for what we do & not what we say.