Voice of Love

"This is My servant; I strengthen Him,

this is My Chosen One; I delight in Him.

I have put My Spirit on Him; 

He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not cry or shout out 

or make His voice heard in the streets.

He will not break a bruised reed,

and He will not put out a smoldering wick;

He will faithfully bring justice.

He will not grow weak or be discouraged

until He has established justice on earth. 

The islands will wait for His instruction."

This is what God, Yahweh, says- 

Who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who spread the earth and what comes from it,

Who gives breath to the people on it

and gives life to those who walk on it-

"I, Yahweh, have called You for a righteous purpose,

and I will hold You by Your hand.

I will keep You and appoint You

to be a covenant for the people

and a light to the nations,

in order to open blind eyes,

to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,

and those sitting in darkness in from the prison house." 

- Isaiah 42.1-7, HCSB (Emphasis mine)

  The heart of God is spoken so clearly in the above passage. His desire for Jesus to "loose the chains of injustice, and set the oppressed free" {see Isaiah 58} is so clear. And aren't we, as Christians, called to be like Christ? Jesus' last command on this earth was for us to go and make disciples of all nations.

   He didn't come just for the "good" people. He came for the broken. For the lost. For the poor and the weak and the enslaved. He loved them with an unconditional love, a love that isn't based on what they did, or what circumstances they were in. He loved them because God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit made them. He loved because He is love. 

 So, if we're called to imitate Christ, shouldn't we be loving like Christ? Not a love like you love ice-cream (and I do enjoy ice-cream!), but a love that  hung broken and bleeding on a cross for us. It's a deep, pure, sacrificial kind of love. A love that breaks you, moves you, and calls you to do something, to do more. A love that is uncomfortable being comfortable. A love with a servant's heart and a prayerful spirit. Christ's love for us is that and so, so much more. His love for us should move us and commission us to give that love to those who might not know it. To give it to the little girl from Kenya on compassion.com, or that family down the street from you, or the little boy that loves basketball whom you meet in North Carolina on a mission trip. All of them are made in His image, and all of us are called to help show them that.

 I know, it's a daunting task sometimes. I'm just one person. How can I change the world? That's just it. You can't. But God can, through you. Katie Davis, author of Kisses from Katie, says it this way: "I can not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world of one person." 

 When we do that, we are loving like Christ. We are entering the world of the least of these with the love only Christ can provide. How you do that might be sponsoring a child in a third world country (best $38 a month ever spent!), volunteering at your local food bank, talking with the little boy in your neighborhood who always seems a little lonely, or going on a mission trip. I don't know what it might look like for you. I do know that you have to be all in for the cause of Christ and His love. You will be broken, and you might be asked to do things you'd rather not do. But He doesn't leave us to do it by ourselves. He gives us a promise. Read the end of Matthew 28 with me, please. "Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The Creator of the world is always with us. That is so powerful. He chooses us, He delights in us, He strengthens us, and He is with us, even to the end of the age.