i have nothing to bring to the table. and that makes His grace all the more sweeter.
i have no impressive words or speeches to deliver, and that makes His words all the more clear.
i have no beauty in and of myself, and that lets His shine through all the more.
i have nothing to offer, and by Him, everything to give.
i've read, by way of several sources, that is 6%-7% of professing christians would adopt, there would be no more orphans in the world.
there are approximately 148 million orphans in the world.
james 1:27 is pretty clear: "religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world"
"visit" means this:
"to go to for the purpose of official inspection or examination; or, to come to in order to comfort or aid"
"visit" does not mean "slum tourism"--you can read a great article about that here.
the joy of life is this: to surrender it for the love of Christ. as john piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." satisfaction is in loving, serving, sharing the Word, His love, His story. to see His love, nailed to a cross. to see our love, visiting them:
here's the thing, Jesus calls us to love Him. He doesn't give us a comfortable life because He loves us more than children in a 3rd world country, He gives us a life-long oppportunity to be His hands and feet. our status and bank account are less about how much He loves us, and more about what He has called us to do, and How much He loves His lost, hungry sheep all over the world.
i know that i want desperately for these children to know they are loved.
i know that there is no greater thing in life than to love, to love without limits, limits imposed upon us by our own hurts, scars, wounds, fears...
consider paul, a pharisee, converted, wounded, attacked, hated. the one who once hated, was now being hated and life threatened because of his outrageous love. AN OUTRAGEOUS LOVE! the key to that is: outrage. out of outrage, that we should feel from the mass of orphans, the hunger, the sickness, the prostitution desperate women find themselves in, we should let a love burn in us, that cannot be contained, that cannot be held back. we must do something. also, to relate back to paul, when we choose to follow Him, i mean, really, really, truly, abandon all, and follow Him, we're going to face attack. that's why we're told again, by paul, to consider it pure joy. the trails, the pain, they refine us, they shape our hearts, to a more beautiful heart that shouts His name, that shines His glory! we share in His suffering! and to suffer, not only for Him, but for His children, that is an incredible love, an incredible joy!
suffer for those hurting, and hide your pain behind Jesus; bleed for those hurting, and hide your scars with layers of clothing; reject food and feel hunger for those who cannot escape it and hide your diminishing frame in purple robes and gowns; live modestly for those that are dying less than modestly; this is love: to carry one another's burdens, and consider it pure joy that your reward is not here, not measurable, the reward is simply fulfilling the gospel. who are we if we do not love? what is love without action? nothing.
--i have a lot of emotions to comb through, these will become more coherent again soon! :)
i have no impressive words or speeches to deliver, and that makes His words all the more clear.
i have no beauty in and of myself, and that lets His shine through all the more.
i have nothing to offer, and by Him, everything to give.
there are approximately 148 million orphans in the world.
james 1:27 is pretty clear: "religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world"
"visit" means this:
"to go to for the purpose of official inspection or examination; or, to come to in order to comfort or aid"
"visit" does not mean "slum tourism"--you can read a great article about that here.
the joy of life is this: to surrender it for the love of Christ. as john piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." satisfaction is in loving, serving, sharing the Word, His love, His story. to see His love, nailed to a cross. to see our love, visiting them:
here's the thing, Jesus calls us to love Him. He doesn't give us a comfortable life because He loves us more than children in a 3rd world country, He gives us a life-long oppportunity to be His hands and feet. our status and bank account are less about how much He loves us, and more about what He has called us to do, and How much He loves His lost, hungry sheep all over the world.
i know that i want desperately for these children to know they are loved.
i know that there is no greater thing in life than to love, to love without limits, limits imposed upon us by our own hurts, scars, wounds, fears...
consider paul, a pharisee, converted, wounded, attacked, hated. the one who once hated, was now being hated and life threatened because of his outrageous love. AN OUTRAGEOUS LOVE! the key to that is: outrage. out of outrage, that we should feel from the mass of orphans, the hunger, the sickness, the prostitution desperate women find themselves in, we should let a love burn in us, that cannot be contained, that cannot be held back. we must do something. also, to relate back to paul, when we choose to follow Him, i mean, really, really, truly, abandon all, and follow Him, we're going to face attack. that's why we're told again, by paul, to consider it pure joy. the trails, the pain, they refine us, they shape our hearts, to a more beautiful heart that shouts His name, that shines His glory! we share in His suffering! and to suffer, not only for Him, but for His children, that is an incredible love, an incredible joy!
suffer for those hurting, and hide your pain behind Jesus; bleed for those hurting, and hide your scars with layers of clothing; reject food and feel hunger for those who cannot escape it and hide your diminishing frame in purple robes and gowns; live modestly for those that are dying less than modestly; this is love: to carry one another's burdens, and consider it pure joy that your reward is not here, not measurable, the reward is simply fulfilling the gospel. who are we if we do not love? what is love without action? nothing.
--i have a lot of emotions to comb through, these will become more coherent again soon! :)
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