For the past five (5) years, I have been involved with two (2) street ministry teams in East Tennessee. I've seen thousands of teenagers, adults, and children commit their lives to Christ. I've witnessed Miracles Healings, and watched the Lord transform hearts of drug dealers, alcoholics, and the hopeless. I stumbled upon the following blog this afternoon, and I wanted to share. When working with the "homeless" and the hopeless I continually hear a lot of banter about the loveless and undesirable. Here is a man's take on the "ranking system" of humanity.......
"I've often wondered who decides who is undesirable or loveless, or what standard is used to measure the worth of a man. Far too often, we make judgments about people and their worth; we take liberties with their self worth, and treat them as if they were only there to be our verbal punching bags. We feel we are obviously more important than they are, or we appease our conscience by throwing a little spare change into the hand of someone less fortunate.
Then we can feel like we helped, and we brag to our friends about the good we’ve done. But what if we adopted a new standard of neutral ground? One that caused us to treat everyone equally, that helped us recognize who needed our help, our time, and our energy?
This standard is simple, and it is the one God uses to reach out to us with equality and compassion, no matter what our social status. What is that standard? How do you know who you should reach out to?
Simple: Check if they’re breathing."
“Anyone who sets himself up as religious by talking a good game is self deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.” James 1:26-27 (The Message translation)
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