Today I'd like to talk to you about Maurice Edward Moe Cheeks. Moe Cheeks, born September 8, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois. Six foot one, 180 pounds, DuSable High School in Chicago. played for college in West Texas A&M, 1974 to 1978. He was a second round draft pick in 1978, and is the 36th pick overall. He was picked, selected, by the Philadelphia 76ers. And he played from 78 to 1993. He was a point guard, had numbers 10 and 1. And he's been presently coaching from 1993 till now. As a player, he played with Sixers, the Spurs, the Knicks, the Hawks, and the New Jersey Nets. He's been an assistant coach with the Sixers. He's coached Portland, the Sixers again, assistant with Oklahoma City, Detroit, and then he's an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder right now. He was an NBA champion back in 83, four-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, and an NBA All-Defensive Second Team. His number 10 has been retired by the Philadelphia 76ers. 12,195 points for an 11.1 point per game average, 7,392 assists for a 6.7 assists per game average, and 2,310 steals for a 2.1 steals per game average. I've got so many great memories of this man and what he accomplished as a basketball player back in 83 watching him beat the Lakers, him and Dr. J and Moses Malone beat the Lakers and just that accomplishment as a guard, a great Sixers team to watch play. But something that he did back in 2003, struck me as an amazing act of grace. And so let me take you back there, April 25th, 2013, he's a coach with the Trailblazers, and there's a young girl that is 13 years of age, and she is about to sing the National Anthem, and just listen to what happened. And now to honor America and salute the men and women serving our country with our national anthem. Please welcome, as voted by you the fans, our winner of the Toyota Get the Feeling of a Star promotion, Natalie Gilbert. Oh, say can you see ♪ By the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave So if you were to take the time to watch him come alongside this young lady, And he said, I didn't know I would do that. He didn't know. He knew the song because he had heard it sung or played thousands of times as he's played basketball. but he saw somebody that was struggling. And if you watch the video, you'll see this young lady, 13 years of age in front of thousands of people. She loses her place. She stumbles on the words and she's hanging her head because she doesn't know what to do. She looks around for her father. She later was interviewed. She's looking around for her father and she doesn't know what to do. And he comes over, puts his arm around her and he says, come on, come on. And he begins to sing and he doesn't have a great voice, but he's reminding her of the words. And the crowd looks at this, this Natalie Gilbert, the crowd looks at her and they see her singing. and somebody coming alongside her. And it would be so easy to mock and laugh, but we'd hate it if we were in that position. And so what happens? She starts to sing and she doesn't even sing the words great at that point either, but something happens and a confidence starts to grow. And then the crowd responds and they start singing. And it made me think about how often in our lives that that's what God does for us. Listen to this from 2 Corinthians chapter one. He said, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort for which we ourselves are comforted by God. For we, as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. And if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experienced when you patiently endured the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. And so like Mo Cheeks coming alongside this young lady, who knew that song? She knew the words, but she just forgot. And he came alongside and he helped her. God does that for us. And sometimes he'll bring people into our lives to encourage us at those low points. And so let me ask you, how are you doing today? Are you having an up day? Would you look to be used of God to comfort somebody? Because God's carried you through something. And if you're in the midst of something, then cry out to Him, pray to Him, ask for Him to bring somebody alongside you. And then once you are comforted, I'd ask you to be a person that comforts others. Where are you at today? I hope that young lady, after that happened, was there was never any pride anymore. She had won awards. That's why she was able to be up in front of all those people. But I hope now that she's gone through that, that she can appreciate what others go through when they're going through hard times, because that's what we need. Let's be that to other people.