I have been wanting to blog about a book I read about a month that has had a huge impact on me, but have been so overwhelmed about what to say that I have failed to say anything at all. I have reread bits and pieces of the book multiple times and am still often brought to tears. The book is called "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns (theholeinourgospel.com also has several videos about some of the places he's been). It is an inspiring book about a man’s passion for bringing God’s whole gospel to the world.
"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." Saint Teresa of Avila
The Bible talks a lot about how much God loves his creation and especially his children, and you know God’s heart has to be breaking when he sees what so many of his children are going through. The book mentions that 40% of the world’s people make less than $2 a day and that 26,575 children die each day due to mostly preventable causes related to poverty. At first I thought how can God allow his precious people to suffer, but I’ve realized that God is waiting for me to be his hands & feet to these impoverished people. I am reminded of the passage at the end of Matt 25 where it talks about feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, etc... “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” The book mentions a mother in Haiti who was trying to give her children away because they were literally starving to death. As a mother myself I can’t imagine what an awful feeling that must be. It literally breaks my heart!
I am so thankful to have been blessed to likely never have to experience that, but the question is what am I going to do about those that aren’t so fortunate. I can look around my house right now and see so many objects that we don’t really need that could have potentially saved multiple lives across the globe. Over the past month I’ve been thinking how am I going to let this book as well as God’s Word truly change my life. When Jesus walked the earth he spent most of his time healing the sick, broken hearted, oppressed as well proclaiming the heavenly kingdom. 1 John 2:6 says “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” I can sadly say that I have not given enough thought, money, prayer, and the good news to those who are truly in need physically and spiritually. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to open my eyes to what needs to be done. One thing is for sure, we need to redo our budget and give more of it away. “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him” (1 John 3:17). I have lots of possessions in comparison to much of the world and if God is in me and his heart is breaking for the poor, sick, and oppressed it’s time my heart breaks for them in a way that calls me to action.
I STRONGLY encourage all of you to read the book as well as look at website worldvision.org to find ways to help. There are endless options available besides sponsoring a child from providing livestock, education, water well, etc. While some parts are sad overall it is a very inspiring book! I’m hoping to get The Gospel Quest for Christmas that is a study guide & DVD for those who have read this book and are still trying to figure out “What now”.
"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." Saint Teresa of Avila
