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             The 
              Mail Box 
            Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. 
              She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked 
              at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her 
              name and address. She read the letter: 
            Dear Ruth, 
              I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd 
              like to stop by for a visit. 
              Love Always, Jesus 
            Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on 
              the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. 
              I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered 
              her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have 
              anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something 
              fordinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. 
              Five dollars and fortycents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold 
              cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. 
              A loaf of frenchbread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton 
              of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last 
              her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, 
              her meager offerings tucked under her arm. "Hey lady, can you help 
              us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't 
              even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, 
              both of them dressed in little more than rags "Look lady, I ain't 
              got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here 
              on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting 
              kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd really 
              appreciate it."  
            Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled 
              bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of 
              work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm 
              a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, 
              and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning 
              on serving that to Him." 
            "Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." 
              The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed 
              back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar 
              twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned 
              as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take 
              this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She 
              handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very 
              much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see 
              now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at 
              home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket 
              and slipped itover the woman's shoulders.Then smiling, she turned 
              and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing 
              to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you very much!" 
            Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front 
              door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't 
              have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the 
              door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. 
              "That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." 
              She took the envelope out of the box and opened it. 
            Dear Ruth, 
              It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal . 
              And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat. 
              Love Always Jesus 
            The air was still cold, but even without her coat, 
              Ruth no longer noticed. 
            Do you look for the opportunities 
              that God gives you to share the Love of Jesus???? 
            Pray that God will open your 
              spiritual eyes and Heart to the needs of those around you. 
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