Love's Reach Blog

Have you ever wondered what God looks like? I don’t mean physically - I can look at anyone on the outside and never really know them for who they truly are; as the saying goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” What I’m asking is, have you ever wondered who he really is?  I’m talking about his character, who he is on the “inside”.  

Let me give you a peek at the heart of God.

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families...”  Psalm  68: 5-6

“Defend the poor and fatherless:  do justice to the afflicted and needy.”  Psalm 82:3

“Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless...”  Isaiah  1:17

“Do not move the ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless.”  Proverbs 23:10

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  James 1:27

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?  The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25: 34-36

This, of course, and obviously, is not a comprehensive, didactic theologic overview of God, but an intimate glimpse at the creator of this world, the creator of you and me.  Whatever else you may think or know about God, this one thing you can be sure of:  His heart is for the fatherless.  He deeply cares, and I mean deeply cares, about the hurting, the downtrodden, the weak, the poor and those suffering oppression.  

And here’s the amazing thing... He uses us to be his hands and feet upon the earth, bringing hope and light to every dark place.  Spain’s Teresa of Avila has been attributed with writing the following, echoing this very truth,

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.  Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ’s compassion to the world.  Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

So I guess, now that I think about it, I have seen God.  I’ve seen his heart in action, through many who have looked after the orphans, taking up their cause, defending them, being their voice and loving them, when they had no one.  Now that is a beautiful thing to behold.

Come and join us. Be part of something bigger than yourself, something that’s bigger than any of us as individuals.  Be part of a story and adventure that is woven in the very fabric of God’s heart.   

On Behalf of the Children,

Kevin

This is the face of the voiceless... Actually it's one of millions who have no voice.  These precious children, the orphans and vulnerable children of the world, live in a paradoxical tapestry of hope and desperation, interwoven deep in their souls.

This blog, Project823, is taken from a great book called Psalms that charges us to "Defend the weak and the orphans; defend the rights of the poor and suffering.", and it's one of the many voices we use to speak on their behalf.  And make no mistake, the fields of the fatherless are weak, poor and desperately suffering.

Join us as we daily make a true and tangible impact in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in China and Africa.  These children deserve our best effort, that we would "shout from the rooftops" about their story, about who they are.  All I know is that if I was in their place, I'd hope someone would do the same for me.  With estimates ranging between 145 and 150 million orphans worldwide, our work will never be done.  So jump in and let's make a difference!


On Behalf of the Kids,

Kevin