Jesus and Justice
The following blog was written by John McCartin, Ignite Hope’s Spiritual Director. He blogs regularly at https://john-mccartin.blog/
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
~Micah 6:8 NIV
This has been said many times, but America has been very blessed. But, in that blessing, we indulge. We indulge in all manner of products, entertainment, and expensive beverages. We are well-fed and very entertained. We work and work at our jobs to get ahead and make more money to fuel our consumption – bigger houses, more toys, and more luxury. At the end of the year, we give a little change at the Salvation Army kettle, maybe give a small amount to another charity, sing some Christmas carols, and somehow think we’re living a good life.
Meanwhile the world suffers. We live in luxury; they starve and suffer. Approximately 21,000 people die daily of hunger related causes.1 One hundred forty million orphans worldwide go without all or one of their parents.2 Millions of victims – 98% women and children — are bought and sold into slavery for the abomination called the sex industry.3 Twenty-three million Americans are addicted to drugs and alcohol.4
And, it’s not just the moral and physical needs of the world that is in peril. There are billions of people unreached for Christ.5 Christianity in America is declining – down roughly 7% between 2007 and 2014.6 We know people dying without a saving faith in Jesus will spend eternity separated from God in eternal torment.
You see, it’s Jesus and justice. Jesus because we need saving from our sin. Justice because Jesus commands us to love. In the Great Commission, we’re told to make disciples, baptize them, and also teach those disciples what Jesus commands. And Jesus commands us to love God and others: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
~Matthew 28:19-20 NIV
What will we do in our earthly lives? It may be time to start asking some hard lifestyle questions. Can I trim my work schedule and entertainment choices to volunteer more time to the cause of Christ? Can I reduce the amount of sports programming I consume to serve more? Can I consume less money and give more?
Consult your heart. How can you volunteer and give at your local church? What worldly woe tugs at your heart the most? Consult God’s heart. Begin praying about it. Get on a web browser and find a Christian ministry serving that cause and explore ways to serve.
Adding an adopted child to your family may be a particularly good option as well. You can address one of the planet’s biggest problems by providing a forever home to one of God’s little children.
1 “Hunger and World Poverty.” Poverty.com – Hunger and World Poverty. Poverty.com, Dec. n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.
2 “Worldwide Children’s Statistics.” SOSUS. SOS Children’s Villages USA, n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.
3“Sex Trafficking Facts.” Equality Now. Equality Now, n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.
4 “RenewEveryday.com.” Addiction & Recovery Statistics | Renew Everyday. Renew Everyday.com, n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.
5 Project, Joshua. “Global Statistics :: Joshua Project.” Global Statistics :: Joshua Project. The Joshua Project, n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.
6 Wormald, Benjamin. “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. Pew Research Center, 12 May 2015. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.