We’d just moved and one of the families in our new church made it their habit to pray daily for the recently installed pastoral family. Two of their children felt that it was good to pray, but told their parents that prayer was not enough and that they should also do something to show that their faith was real. The parents asked them what they had in mind.
The next morning, the dad arrived in my office with a carton of eggs. The children had been given the task of taking care of several laying hens and their pay would be the proceeds from the sale of the eggs.
They determined that our family should receive a dozen eggs each week to show that they really believed what they were praying. Our entire family was touched by this kind gesture.
Later, when I had the opportunity to personally thank our young benefactors I told them a story about Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892). Spurgeon (considered to be one of the greatest preachers who ever lived) and his wife, owned chickens and would regularly collect and sell the eggs their chickens laid.
They refused to give any of the eggs away and even close friends and relatives were expected to pay. This seemed out of character for the Spurgeons and people began to think they were becoming selfish and greedy; some verbally expressed this view to them.
The Spurgeons accepted the criticism without responding.
Later when Mrs. Spurgeon died, the full story was revealed. The Spurgeons never spent any of the egg money on themselves.
Every penny from the sale of the eggs went to support two elderly widows.
Spurgeon never mentioned the incident from the pulpit, but some have suggested that it may well have been one of the greatest sermons he ever preached.
The apostle James wrote “…I will show you my faith by my works” and “Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!” (James 2:18 and 26 respectively). The point is (read James 2:14-26) that sincere faith will always be displayed by selfless actions.
“I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
“I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
“And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
“For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
— Pastor Ross Helgeton is senior pastor at Erskine Evangelical Free Church