Hope Without Limits

Love the one in front of you.

Are you wondering … just how the heck do I do that?  First you receive it, then you give it.

Think about it.  Everyone single one of us has the power to change the world.  Tell me that’s not a reason to hope!

Isaiah 58:6-7 is what Holy Spirit used to trigger this revelation to me:

 No, what I want in a fast is this:
        to liberate those tied down and held back by injustice,
        to lighten the load of those heavily burdened,
        to free the oppressed and shatter every type of oppression.
A fast for Me involves sharing your food with people who have none,
        giving those who are homeless a space in your home,
    Giving clothes to those who need them,
and not neglecting your own family.

In these 2 verses our Heavenly Father is telling Israel what delights Him.  There is a very interesting Hebrew word in verse 7 “basar”.  It can be translated “your own family” as in blood relative … but it is also accurate to translate it as “any other man/individual being our brother”, i.e., any person in front of you!

What does this mean for you, for me?  Well, God has set us the example.  The way He is going to change the world is by loving the one in front of  Him.  Who is in front of Him – you are, I am.  Why?  Because Jesus is constantly interceding for us in front of our Heavenly Father (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25) .  Jesus is constantly putting us in front of Father God and saying:

“This one is mine.”
“This one is covered by my  blood.”
“This one goes through eternity with You and me.”
“This one is the one that we love and is reconciled to us.”
“There is nothing between us, there is nothing that separates this one from us.
This one belongs to us there is nothing that can take her/him away.”

(John 10:28-30 , Colossians 1:20, Romans 8:38-39)

That’s  how our Heavenly Father is changing the world and He wants us to get it that this is you, this is me.  He will change the world one person at a time, just as He asks us to change the world one person at at time by letting them know the one in front of them loves them.  What does that mean?  It means accepts them exactly as they are.  Accepts them the same way we have been accepted and are accepted every day in the middle of our mistakes and successes, unconditionally, because of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

And just as we have the free will to accept or reject the love of God … your choice is to love those in front of you.  Their choice is whether or not they receive it.

Care to join me in changing the world?

Found this beautiful quote at:
Holley Gerth