And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NLT)
Whether it was because of economic necessity, the absence of nearby places to shop, or frugality, Jimmy’s Place was the place to go. Jimmy’s Place was a combination junk shop and shoe shine shop located on the eastside of town in my neighborhood. If you were looking for a pair of name brand tennis shoes, Jimmy had it! If you were looking for a baseball mitt to fit in with the other kids at the little league diamond and you had less than two dollars, Jimmy had it! If you preferred a second-hand article of clothing because you didn’t want a hand me down or you couldn’t come close to affording the markdown clothing at the big stores downtown, you guessed it, Jimmy had it! If you needed dress shoes to be shined, and a place to have them shined professionally, Jimmy had it! Jimmy’s Place! That was the place to go in my neck of the woods. I’m sure you had one in your neighborhood too. You probably passed a place like Jimmy’s Place today, but you don’t call them “junk shops.” You call them “thrift stores,” or if you are the private type of person, you just say, “I got my special store.” Perhaps you go bourgeoisie and call them “consignment shops” But let’s not deny it; it’s still akin to Jimmy’s Place.
Now there are some things you could not get a Jimmy’s Place, intangible that are invaluable. You could not get peace of mind. Jimmy did not offer hope, that kind of hope that something was certain to come about. You know, hope like the living hope you have in Christ Jesus. You could get a lot of gab; similar to what you would hear the barbershop, but you could not get the gospel truth.
At Jimmy’s Place you could not get the answers to life’s greatest questions. But let’s face it, Jimmy was in business to make a profit and sustain his way of life, not to sustain your soul. And, nothing was free! But there are things that are freely given to you from our God: help when in trouble, direction when suffering loss, grace when it is undeserved, know-it-all; omniscient wisdom, and all your needs can be met by Him. That’s includes your need to be saved from the penalty of sin or your need to be saved from the power of sin in your life.
Jimmy’s Place has been long gone. But God’s Place will never close, never shut down, and will never be replaced by any other place. So whatever you need may today, go by God’s place. He can take care of you! He will supply all your needs from His glorious riches! I will never forget Jimmy’s Place, but I’ll never get to visit it again…only the location, but Jimmy’ s Place, well he and the building he occupied are gone. But when it comes to God’s place my friend, we can always go to Him in prayer! We can always go to Him when we have a need! As the songwriter said, “What you want, God’s got it!” Stop by God’s Place today and tell Him all about your need and see if He doesn’t have it! Enjoy your Monday! Be blessed!
“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10 NIV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King