Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24
Although I came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at a young age, it was not until I took steps to embrace the needy that I truly began experiencing God’s miracles for which I had always longed. By entering the stories of Rwandan genocide orphans and the Sudanese Lost Boys reuniting with their parents, and witnessing the church successfully embrace and care for the alien and the oppressed, I was guided further up and further in to the profound truths of living Christ’s way. The major fundamentals of the Christian Faith which I intuitively knew to be true and had sung about in hundreds of worship songs had at long last become solidified through my personal experiences with Christ among the needy.
Though I went reluctantly at first into the fields of the fatherless and the lands of the poor, I started to proactively take the hands of the orphans and the needy and go where they were leading me. Through the living example of each of these guides, I experientially learned many essential truths of the Christian life which up to that point I recognized I had only intellectually grasped. These lessons include: genuine charity, unfathomable forgiveness, profound self-sacrifice, true worship, God’s empowering presence, true fasting, the groaning of creation, and the secret of contentment and joy. By entering their stories, I delved deeper into the profound truth of how to live Christ’s way and came to the realization that we can embrace Christ by embracing and serving the Least of These.
When the church understands what it means for God to call Himself the Father of the fatherless, we will see not only the orphan, but also the widow, the poor, the oppressed and the stranger in a whole new light. In this context we will begin to see them as members of the royal family of God guiding us in our journey, essential parts of the Body necessary to building itself up, and critical contributors to our own sanctification and blessing. And as we respond, we will extend God’s loving hand to the needy and will bring glory to Him as the source of all love.
God has designed us to be the vessels of his character to this hurting world, and He has chosen his bride to do His work while he is away. So, it is to be through each of us that God will reveal his personality of love, justice and righteousness. In Psalm 10:18, the Spirit has told that church that God brings “justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.” So for those who Know Him and understand that in these things He delights, for those willing to submit their lives into His hands, He will choose to use our lives to bring justice. And in so doing, we will come to know Him all the more – for this is the gnosco, the experience, of knowing God!
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