Monday, August 25, 2003
Monday, August 25, 2003
How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a
brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
A relief official had just returned from the famine areas of Africa. He wrote a letter to a New York
City newspaper telling of the young people, the young volunteers, he had found there who were
giving their time and energy and who were making sacrifices to help the impoverished and
suffering Africans. The young people were living in mean and difficult conditions, and the official
was terribly impressed with them.
He wrote in his letter to the newspaper: "As we passed the day together, I took a moment to ask
each of them 'why'--why had they volunteered? Charles Petre, who had just finished a master of
business administration program in France and planned to become an international consultant,
said he was there, "to make a contribution." Ann Levin, with a masters degree in economics,
said, "there was a need." And Mary Crickmore said it was her "Christian commitment."
What is God calling you to do?
(1 John 3.17
NRSV)
The greatest hunger people have is for the Bread of Life which is Christ. The Christian
missionary enterprise will not be completed until every child in this world has a full tummy, a
safe and comfortable home in which to live, and knows deep in his or her heart that he or she is
a child of God. That is an ambitious dream, is it not? I believe that is a dream worthy of the
followers of Jesus Christ.
Dear Jesus, help me to make a difference. Amen.
