Spoken To...

I was hit hard today while reading a friend's blog spot. As many of you know our family is in the process of adopting from Africa. We felt God was calling us to help by offering our love to a child who needs it. I will let what I read speak for itself and maybe you can get a glimpse of what breaks my heart. It's from a missionary in Africa. This is what God sees when he looks at the world. We have a team in Swaziland, that nation in Africa where nearly half the adult population has the AIDS virus. I received this email from Gary Black in Swaziland today and it wrecked me:"The team found a four week-old laying on its dead mother yesterday, they kept it - we are getting it to the abandoned baby hospital Friday." What do we do with this? That's my son's team down there. I don't know about you, but I'm outraged by a world that produces situations like this. And while that may seem like a world away to many, for my son, it's as immediate as it is heart-wrenching. The only thing that appalls me more is that so many of us Americans who can do something about this are more interested in stuff that will only ultimately burn up in the big fire. God help us. God, help us to wake up. Help us to see how much you love the widow and the orphan. God help us to break as you are broken up over this four week-old. God, help me to lose this tortoise shell religion that sheds these kinds of tragic situations like water. Forgive me God for not praying more. Forgive me for not emptying my bank account for your little ones. God, we have lost true religion. We have sought finer sanctuaries and better parking lots. We have tried to fill our church pews with seekers, but we have not sought your children dying on their mother's chests. We need to see a way out of this mess that we've got ourselves in. God, help us in this 21st century mindset that we've acquired. I don't even know what else to pray." I was reading in Philipians today and God spoke loud and clear to my heart again on this same topic. The passage is Philipians 2: 5-11. Basically it speaks of how Christ came to Earth to become a servant and humbled himself to obediance to the point of death on a cross. Earlier in the chapter 2:1-4 Paul is telling the Philipians to be humble and "Do not be interested in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others." Just like Paul spoke in these few passages as painful as it descending is the only way to greatness. Jesus obeyed for the sake of love and we as His followers and the recipients of His love are called to do the same. Jesus says that the two greatest commands are to love God and to love others. That is what motivated Jesus and that is what should motivate us. I'm not saying we all need to go out and adopt. I'm saying God is calling all His followers to go and love others and be interested in other's lives not just our own. We come up with so many excuses as to why we can't. The truth is we can...everyone can pray. It cost nothing and there is so much power in it. By the way, WE don't do anything. It's all God's doing. We are merely the vessels that he works through. There was a time when I thought I couldn't do anything then I was reminded, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Paul says in Philipians 2:13 "God is working in you to help you WANT TO DO and BE ABLE TO DO what pleases him." Please pray for the mother and fatherless. Pray for their little lives and their salvation. That they may be given the things they need today. And if your bold, pray that God will allow your heart to be broken for the things that His heart breaks for. As His followers He has a lot of work for us to accomplish for Him.