Answered Prayers

I saw an insurance commercial today and as sad as it may seem it was actually moving.  Watch the video at the link above and you will find it impressive as well.
Basically it's about a man who while going about his daily routine stops and donates to a young girls school fund, helps an old lady push her food cart across the street and leaves bananas(I think) on a woman's door nob without ever revealing his identity or getting any credit for his deeds.
He is being kind when no one seems to notice him, he is being good for the sake of being good which to me sounds more like righteousness than anything.  He is good to people who can do nothing in return, he is getting nothing out of it except the thrill of doing right by people who need it.
My wife and I have some friends that we rarely see but stay in touch thanks to facebook.  Last weekend one of them said she wasn't sure how they were going to get groceries when they didn't have the money for it.  So my wife and I went to the store and bought them a ton of food.  I told our friends husband "don't worry about paying us back just pay it forward when you get the chance."  I got a big fat hug after that.  It felt so good to pay it forward when we had been in the same situation months back.
When you are able to help someone who can in no way repay you that is true service and the joy in their gratitude is immense.  Knowing you made a difference is priceless.
Jesus gives us several examples of how we are asked to serve:
³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.  Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said in John 13:34 "A new command I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
He also said "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.
³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  Matthew 22:37-40
So the foundation of the laws of God is love.  Then the commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us ought to be paramount in what it means to truly be one of His disciples.  It is key in living righteously. 
And what good is love if you don't share that joy?  What good are your talents if you don't put them to good use?
Many people wouldn't give money to the homeless people they see on their way to work or throughout their daily routine because they don't have enough.  Thing is people often feel that way no matter how much money they have.  And so many people hoard their wealth but Jesus said "Where your treasure is your heart will be also."  So if you treasure your loved ones then that's where your heart will be, conversely if you treasure the sum in your bank account that's where you're heart will be as well.
One thing I've tried is to pray as to how to help when I'm asked for help or money.  I have a friend whose wife used to go out with friends and do service work during the holidays.  One year she and her friends picked up a thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins to go and give to someone who was in need of it  She prayed about it and pointed out an apartment building as they drove by and then parked and walked through the apartment until she felt guided by the spirit to one particular door.
When the door opened it was a woman with 3 or so children who graciously accepted the meal and gave a heartfelt thank you to each of the women who brought the food.  She then said she had been in the middle of a prayer that they would find a way to have a meal since their fridge and cupboards were bare.  Right as this lady finished her prayer there was the knock on the door from my friends wife and her friends.
Sometimes I think we can be guided by the spirit to answer the prayers of others in our daily routine.  And thereby spread the love we have to share so that we wont have to go without.  We don't have to pray for a miracle if we are willing to be the miracle.  Gandhi said we should be the change in the world we would like to see.  And that's just it, we can be the difference when we make a difference.We can be the implements The Lord uses to answer prayers.