dear church, don't forget that love drives out fear

My heart is heavy.  The emotional climate in the world right now is so tense.  Dear Church, dear sons and daughters of the Living God, dear followers of Jesus Christ,  pause and consider the opportunity to show Love when the rest of the world is filled with hate.  

The world is in choas and that can cause people to panic.  When we panic we do not think out of wisdom but out of fear.  The situations going on around the world are complex.  There are leaders who are not leading. There are strong, able men who should be standing up against this evil but instead are running in fear. There are many who are only concerned about money and power and influence.  There are few offering real solutions to allowing people safety in their homelands.  There are many being led down a path of destruction and foolishness.  

In the midst of people fleeing from the Middle East there are some who are filled with evil and hate.  But there are also many who are trying anything they can to find refuge from that evil and hate.  I admit, it is scary.  Watching the footage of the beheadings and the beatings and the recent carnage in Paris causes the human spirit to sense danger and go into protection mode.  Fight or Flight.  One thing I have learned from raising trauma children that you cannot always make logical decisions in that part of your brain.  

The only way to defeat hate is love.  God is love.  The only way to defeat darkness is light. God is light.  

Family of God now is the time.  This is the moment to show the world who Jesus is.  

It is time to consider Matthew 25.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me somethingto eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give Yousomething to drink? 38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

      41“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I love my country.  I believe in the principles that founded this incredible nation.  But first and foremost I am a daughter of God and my Truth must come from His Word.  Because I believe the Bible to be true, I believe that ALL humanity is in need of a Savior, ALL humanity is in need of Jesus.  The enemy has intended current events for evil and destruction but God can redeem even these atrocities for His Glory.  Stand up for Truth people of God!!  Show love even when it is scary.  

As I watched this video from Samaritan's Purse, my mind immediately began to think about another crisis.  The orphan crisis.  Thousands of orphans are stuck.  Because of a few evil people abusing adoption systems, may countries have closed their doors to allowing orphans to being adopted.  Because of a few, many suffer.  There are some very evil radical Islamic terrorists who are hiding among the refugees and have plans for destruction, but there are also some desperately  hurting people who are trying to escape what we also fear.  There are some negative, complaining moochers who demand everything be handed to them, but there are also so many thankful, humble people looking for a chance at a better life.  

Children of God,  let us not miss this opportunity.  For such a time is this.....   The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  (matt 9)

The Rising Tide - Europe Refugee Crisis

You've probably seen footage on the news of refugees arriving in Greece by boat, but you've probably not seen anything like this. You've heard opinions about who they are or what they want, but you can see it firsthand in this video. These are the ones lying destitute on the road, and we must be the Good Samaritan. As team leader Dan Stephens shares, "We are the first faces they see when they land." It's our calling to show them the love of our Savior, and that is what many of you have helped us to do by your generous gifts. Learn, pray, and get involved here ▶http://bit.ly/1WNfyDO
Posted by Samaritan's Purse on Wednesday, October 7, 2015