Christians Pick Up the Pieces

The devil comes to steal, rob and destroy but I came that you might have life in abundance. Jesus Christ, John 10:10

Some old friends recently related how they and others from their little church had helped a young woman through the last days of her life. The girl had grown up in the church but rejected its message for one of "freedom" that we see as license. After years of "riotous living" she fell ill and had no one to care for her and her three children.

The people at Old First Church stepped in and nursed, fed and medicated the woman and loved, disciplined and taught her children while protecting them from a violent father who was not married to their mother. It cost the church many thousands of dollars and many hundreds of hours, but it was done with love, grace and charm.

This is what Christians have always done. Luke 15 tells about a man with two sons. One ran off and destroyed his self respect, ruined his reputation and lost his fortune with riotous living. Then, with nowhere to go, the fellow returned to his father who fed, clothed and loved him despite the way he had been disrespected.

Why did so many pastors, Christian groups and believing volunteers but no United Atheists or Madelyn Murray O'Hare followers show up at Ground Zero? Why is it that Christians that strongly oppose drugs, crime, abortion and divorce also do the most to pick up the pieces from those same acts and their supporters do nothing?

The ACLU, The American Atheist Society and their kind complain about "Too much religion" and "Too much prayer" in the aftermath of tragedies. The stand at the side and do nothing to help while believers pick up the pieces. However, only the people of God have a message of faith, hope and love that propels us to heal the broken hearted.

Why do thousands of believers regularly travel to the former USSR with food, medicine, clothing, construction, schools and love? We fought the atheist society because we love the people. Our ministry in Russia offers hope with no strings attached. We have nothing to gain personally from taking light into the darkness. All we have is the same thing that motivated the Good Samaritan: love of our fellow man.

We hated Socialism, Stalin and the gulags because of what they did to their own people. This is why so many former victims of Communism came to honor Ronald Reagan.

Every charity hospital in the world can be traced back to scriptural ideas. Without God there is no morality. Without God there is no compassion. Without God there is no hope. Without God there is no motivation to help people in need.

With God all things are possible.

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gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com