“If we all woke up in the morning asking, ‘How can I love, serve, and obey God today?’ it might change everything-it might even change the world’. -Richard Stearns President of World Visions.
This past weekend my amazing Youth group (and friends) fasted for 30 long hours to spread awareness for the 25,000 children that die a day from preventable causes like poverty, hunger, and disease. We got a real taste of what those children go through on a daily basis…and let me be the first one to tell you that it wasn’t easy! This year wasn’t as hard as last, but there’s no doubting that fasting is hard!
Fasting gives you a lot of time…to think. And I did a lot of that this weekend, and continue to do that today.
I’m reading “The Hole in our Gospel’ by Richard Stearns; he’s the President of World Visions, and has had quite the call from God to get to this job…read the book when you can!
But his book is all about whether we have answered the call of God.
Luke 4:18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me, to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free. To proclaim the year of the Lords favor.
Matthew 25:40: The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, what ever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’.
I’m wondering why people don’t jump to the opportunity to sponsor a child, or why people hesitate to give $5.
I think it’s because sadly we’ve become immune to what’s not ours…myself included.
Jesus tells us to go out and make disciples of the nations…He uses the word nations for a reason. He wanted us to bring the good news to everyone in the WORLD, not just those in our communities. Look at Luke 4 again, ‘to proclaim the good news to the poor’. And of course Matthew 25, the ‘least’ of these.
Jesus wants us, in fact commands us, to go to the poor and preach the gospel.
Most people at this point would use the ‘I’m not a missionary’ excuse, or I’m too busy.
See what I mean, totally immune.
Instead of looking at the world through Gods eyes, we look through our own, the ones that are technology driven and the ones full of selfishness…again, myself included.
I think it’s hard for people to hear the statistic that over 25, 000 children die a day of hunger and do anything but, take a sign feel bad for a minute then go on about their business. But what if our hearts broke for the things that broke our Creators heart. Imagine living in a world where everything that hurt God, hurt you.
Think about how different we’d be, how the world would be.
Statistic has been proved to do nothing. I could write over and over again that 25,000 children will die today from hunger while you eat pizza, and that $1 feeds a child for a day. But see that most likely made you go, wow…but if I was to tell you about Stephen…who’s 8 and lives in Uganda, and who’s favorite subject in school is reading, and he loves football…and if I could show you a picture…chances are you’d think a little differently about that statistic.
I hope we all know that God didn’t take any more time in creating us here in the USA then He did Stephen, or any other child living in poverty. He took the time to create us all with a mass amount of intricacy…we’re all children of God. No one is above the rest. So since so many of our brothers and sisters are in need, shouldn’t we help.
My point is this, we have faith in a God who created the Universe and gave us everything we need. But that faith needs to be followed out with the actions Jesus gives us. To go out and make disciples of the nations.
Do some homework and look up organizations where you can be involved. It doesn’t have to be World Visions, which I encourage, there are SO many that are Christ centered and want to help you change the world.
I’m not saying to hop on the next flight to Uganda…but pray that God will give you the opportunity to do something. Maybe it’s working at a local soup kitchen, maybe it’s sponsoring a child for $30 a month, or maybe it is going on a mission trip. But no matter what it is pray to God first! I promise He’ll give you all the answers you ever need!
The world doesn’t need more people just writing checks, the world needs Christ followers who take action to their faith.
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written, ‘the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little’. -2 Corinthians 8:13
Your sister in Christ,
Meg
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