Ultimate Compassion

So, this won't the last time you'll hear from me about the topics of compassion and poverty. I feel as though I am on a quest to discover how these things are to play out in my life. I believe these issues are too close to the heart of God for me to ignore, and I find God drawing me further into His heart.

This past weekend, I attended a conference put on by Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, called Ultimate Compassion (www.ultimatecompassion.com). This event was part of this body of Christ's effort to learn about and better live out the calling of Jesus to "bring good news to the poor."

From a spiritual perspective, it opened my eyes to the war between good and evil. What other explanation could there be that such prosperity can live right next to such poverty? Ephesians 6:12 says that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." They explained that the cultures we live in, the "systems" we operate in are these powers/principalities. It is hard to see the systems we live in since they are the air we breathe. But they are de-humanizing. Our political system and economy couldn't even support itself if the poor came out of poverty. Their staying there is how we stay where we are or "move up in the world".

Action steps:
We must put aside our judgments, admit that our privilege and power is unmerited, and be responsible for it.
We must admit that we are all racist on some level.
We must accept our history and turn our eyes to Jesus so we can learn how to live out a truly Christ-like love.
We must realize that as the body of Christ, when one suffers, we all suffer.
We must acknowledge that every human being is a child of God, worthy of "life to the full". We were ALL saved by grace!

JESUS WAS A REVOLUTIONARY. He revolted against every cultural norm with no desire to appease people or build an empire and "rule". Rather, He told the people that following Him was going to cost them, and that their rewards would be found in heaven. His main ministry was to the poor, broken, and neglected.
So if God came to bring good news to the poor, what is the good news I bring them in the way I live my life? What would it look like to revolt against the American system and put the causes of Christ before the cultural norms?

These are questions I must ask myself, because I want to be in the heart of God, and I know it is not my natural tendency to lay down my life for the Kingdom. Poverty is such a huge issue. I don't claim to have everything figured out, but I know that God is asking more of me than to just live comfortably and feel good about serving the poor every once in awhile...He wants our whole heart! And He promises fullness of life as we give ours away...

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

I welcome any discussion over this issue!
Abby