--Maria Anne Hirschmann

Here’s EGW’s view of it: “The inhumanity of man toward man is our greatest sin”. MH 163 (Chapter, ‘Helping the Tempted’)

Christ’s view of it: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.”

“Whatsoever ye would that men should do............ Story about a Romanian SDA pastor (a true one).

He had a kitten that climbed up a small tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. (And Dwight goes through all the sound effects.) The pastor pled, got warm milk, etc. (many embellishments all along). The kitty wouldn’t come down. So he decided that if he tied a rope to his car and around the tree then drove away so that the tree would bend down, he could then reach the kitten.

He did all this, kept getting out to check, then figured if he went just a little bit farther, the tree would be bent sufficiently to reach the kitten. But as he did so, the rope broke. Of course, the tree went Boing! and the kitten sailed through the air out of sight.

The pastor felt very bad. He walked all over the neighborhood, asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. No. So he prayed, “Lord, I just commit this kitten to Your keeping,” and went on about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store, and he met a church member and looked into her cart (Dwight’s aside: “Pastors always look in church member’s carts to see what they’re buying.”), and he was amazed to see cat food, knowing she hated cats. He asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so?”

She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the girl had begged again, and she finally told her, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.” You can guess the rest. She told the pastor, “I watched my little girl go out in the yard, and get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A cat suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws spread out, and landed in front of her.”

So we need to ask for big things and expect God to answer.