A Sense Of Concern

1 Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Yerushalayim with Bar-Nabba, taking Titus also with me. 2 I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Goyim, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Yevanit, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Messiah Yeshua, that they might bring us into bondage; 5 to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

6 But from those who were reputed to be important (whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn't show partiality to man) -- they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me, 7 but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcision, even as Rock with the Good News for the circumcision 8 (for he who appointed Rock to the apostleship of the circumcision appointed me also to the Goyim); 9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, Ya`akov and Kefa and Yochanan, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Bar-Nabba the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Goyim, and they to the circumcision. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor -- which very thing I was also zealous to do. - Gal 2:1-10 HNV

Statistics are tricky. While numbers give us information, sometimes they can also desensitize us to the people those numbers represent. This hit me recently as I read a statistic: Every year 15 million people die from hunger. That’s chilling, and for those of us who live in cultures of plenty, it’s hard to fathom. In 2008, nearly 9 million children died before their fifth birthday, with a third of those deaths related to hunger. These are staggering numbers, but they are much more than numbers. They are individuals loved by God.

We can show the Father’s heart of love by responding to people’s physical needs. Solomon wrote, “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy” (Prov. 14:31). We can show mercy to the needy by volunteering at a soup kitchen, assisting in a job search, financially supporting the drilling of wells in places in need of fresh water, distributing food in poverty-stricken regions, teaching a trade, or providing lunches for school children.

Accepting this responsibility honors the Father and His concern for all. And those who are starving might be better able to hear the message of the cross if their stomachs aren’t growling.

If God ordained to give
One gift for all my days,
I’d want the way He loves
To permeate my ways. —Verway

The more we understand God’s love for us the more love we’ll show to others.

http://odb.org/2012/05/11/a-sense-of-concern/
"Fair Use For Educational or Discussion Purposes"