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The guidebook for tourists advised travelers to ignore beggars. Sometimes, it warned, they were actually pick-pockets who distracted and robbed do-gooders.

While traveling in Spain, I maintained my habit of reading the Bible daily. The first morning in Barcelona, I read the account of Peter and the beggar. Great story, but I failed to see how it applied to me. So I closed my Bible, went out sight-seeing, and passed by at least two beggar women without even remembering what I’d read.

The next day, I reread the passage and felt the Holy Spirit pinch. I confessed my self-centeredness and devised a simple plan for the next opportunity.

On a street busy with foot traffic, I saw a clean-cut middle-aged man sitting in a doorway with a sign that read, I have problems. Help me. He looked defeated. I stooped to his level and, using my barely-adequate Spanish, asked him what the problems were. He said he was sick and unemployed. I asked his name. After I dropped a few euros in his can, I told Antonio I would pray for him in Jesus’ name.

I walked away convinced God had caused our paths to cross. God’s Book had shown me that when Peter met a beggar he gave what he could.

Not ten minutes later, another man, rumpled and needing a shave, approached me. He also said he needed help and introduced himself as Antonio. Really, Lord? He looked as if drinking might be his biggest problem, and I didn’t want to be generous. I briefly pretended I didn’t speak Spanish, but the Holy Spirit prodded again. I promised to pray for him in Jesus’ name and shared more euros.

My encounters with the Antonios reminded me that daily Bible reading isn’t just an item on a to-do list. When God opened my mind and heart to His Word, I found I could give what I had—a little Spanish, a few euros, and a faithful prayer in Jesus’ name.

Ask God to show you how He wants you to obey Him today. Maybe He’ll send you an Antonio.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)