it's been a little over a year now since i've written "rise up" and more and more every day the words of amos 5 keep coming back to me. "get away from Me with the noise of your songs, I won't even listen. but let justice flow like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." shocking words for me as a worship leader to read. the more and more i prayed about what i could do to bring worship to our King through justice, i just kept seeing the need all over the world for us to do something. worship is about so much more than songs. . . as this verse proves.
the context for this scripture is that the people of God were getting richer and richer and getting more and more stuff and were neglecting the poor, the underprivileged, and the needy and this just sickened the heart of God. God desires justice because He loves the people He created in His image.
i will say this. . . we live in the richest country in the world. the poorest people here are richer than the richest people in 80% of the world. and a good chunk of that 80% are starving, without clean water, homeless, uneducated, unable to hear about Jesus, a lot of them without any kind of medical care and yet living in areas where aids and disease run rampant. the need is before us. . . what will we do?
"What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."" James 2:14-18
so i decided back in november to team up with an organization called compassion international. i did a ton of checking on a bunch of other organizations that do the same kind of thing and compassion stood head and shoulders above the rest. they go into the countries that we simply can't for whatever reason (job, family, etc.) and just spend time being Jesus to the communities. they provide healthcare, education, food, clothes, and exercise activities, all while preaching the gospel to the kids and their families. and you can help here.
i am sponsoring 2 kids from uganda. . . calvin (4) and peter (8). it was really easy, i just went online and looked at pictures while praying, "God, show me which one is for me." calvin just shined off the screen with his sweet little 4 year old smile and peter jumped out at me because he was the only one wearing a suit and it was about 5 sizes too big. i get letters from them and calvin always sends me a picture that he's drawn. the latest one was an african tribal dancer guy with a coconut bra and a grass skirt. . . pretty amazing for a 4 year old.
if you would be willing to pray it through and just ask God to show you how you can worship Him through justice, i would greatly encourage it. whether it's through compassion, or weekly giving up the nicer lunch so you can give lunch to a homeless guy, or whatever it may be, i urge you to live more simply so that you can be a blessing to others and live in obedience to God's call for justice as our worship to Him.
here is the link to compassion international. if you're interested in sponsoring a kid, it's $32 a month (the price of a movie and some snacks), and i PROMISE you, you will never regret it.
http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=97885grace and peace,
stephen miller