The citizens of ancient Israel had some serious problems with their decision-making practices, particularly when it came to allegiances and priorities.  I cannot say which came first, the idolatry or mercilessness, but they seemed to go hand in hand.  Idols snatched their hearts away from God, while greed and discrimination towards the weak and vulnerable became rampant.  Jeremiah confirmed this when he wrote, “Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel.  Thus says the Lord:  ‘What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters?’” (Jeremiah 2:4, 5).

Jeremiah also prophesied, “…‘For I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitant of the land,’ says the Lord.  ‘Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely” (Jeremiah 6:12, 13).  Ezekiel also confirms, “The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.  So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:29, 30).

This past Wednesday evening, we had a guest speaker at church (Bill Wilson, founder of the ministry, MetroWorld Child) who challenged us about the way we look at people, children in particular.  He presented a few disturbing slides of children with horrific facial tumors and asked us what we saw when we looked at these pictures.  I can only share with you how these pictures and his message affected me, and I am still experiencing aftershocks from the service.  When I looked at those pictures I saw desperate situations and was grateful that they were not mine; I saw impossibilities, I saw hopelessness, I saw disease, I saw poverty, but I did not see souls, precious in the sight of God—who Jesus died for because He loves them so very much.

…which is why my thoughts have been wandering towards the spiritual collapse of the children of Israel in the Old Testament, and the book of James in the New Testament.  “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).  “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality….If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors….For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:1, 8-9, 13).

“If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (James 2:15, 16).

I am struggling to know how to write this, acknowledging that no condemnation exists for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1); yet I also recognize my own vision deficiency when it comes to broken people.  How do we as Christians view the impoverished?  …or perceive street gangs, read about the persecution of children by Boko Haram in Nigeria, view pictures of starving children (or do we avoid them as was my inclination in response to the pictures we were shown last week).  What is our response when we read about the children, illegal aliens, crossing the border into the United States, or attempt to grasp the extent of persecution rampant throughout the world?  I recognize that it is easy to see the many and overlook the one. …and how do we recognize and avoid the subtle, self-righteous attitudes of “I’m glad I don’t live there”, “I’m better than that”, “I’m stronger than that”, “God has blessed me because I was born here” or “I have worked hard for all that I have”—or identifying those who are law breakers without recognizing how frequently we break God’s laws to love Him with all our hearts, our minds, our souls, our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

This is not a political post nor a statement in defense of any political position; instead, my intent is to challenge the way we see others—because Jesus calls all of His followers to be involved in the lives of the weak and vulnerable.  “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:37-40).

I confess that often I am so overwhelmed by the extent of suffering in this world that it is easy to close the blinds and lock the door of my heart to those who are hungry.   Or thirsty.  Or strangers in this land.  Or naked.  Or sick.  Or in prison.  Or persecuted.  Or abused.  Or abandoned.  Yet for God’s people, these challenges are opportunities for service to “the least of these”—beginning with intercession, being one who is willing to stand in the gap for this land and for the oppressed all over the world. 

It is so easy to look at my finances and my circumstances and say, “there really is nothing I can do” and overlook the most effective thing I can do—pray.  Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers.  Pray, “Lord send me”.  Ask Him what I can do.  And be willing to obey when He says, “teach Sunday school”, or spend time listening to a child, or a friend.  …to write a message of encouragement to someone or send a gift through Voice of the Martyrs to a persecuted Christian in a restricted country.  …or sponsor a child through MetroWorld Child.  God is our Creator and He will create opportunities for us to touch the lives of others if we are willing and available.

Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord—we love you because you first loved us; we want to see you, we want to see others through your eyes, and we want to serve you.

Blessed is he who considers the poor;

The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,

And he will be blessed on the earth;

You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;

You will sustain him on his sickbed.

Psalm 41:1-3