Defending the Weak

I have always admired those that felt the call of God so strongly in their lives that they were willing to pick up and go serve him overseas. I think that is a special blessing, and it takes a special kind of person to serve God in that way.

But I don't think you have to travel to a far off land to fulfill the mission of the church. In fact, I think the church has been so focused on missions as a global movement that we miss the fact there are hurting, needy people that we can reach with the love and message of the Gospel right in our own backyards.

Recently, a couple that help serve and volunteer in our high school program went on a Missions trip to West Virginia. I thought that was an inspiring example of answering the call to help those in need and defend the weak in our own country. Today, we focused on that need and the mandate for Christians to do that as part of the Words of Wisdom series.

There are countless ways we can help those in need just by looking at our own inner cities, where crime, violence, and poverty have ravaged whole generations of young men and women. I think that was one of the messages of the Best Picture nominee "The Blind Side."

But there are little, simple ways to help too. We can reach out to those suffering in our own community, in our places of work, and in our small groups. Any time we mirror the love of Christ by reaching out to those in a time of need we fulfill one of the basic messages and missions of the Gospel.

Even simple volunteer opportunities can be a way to touch people's lives. No matter how you choose to do it, I hope everyone will find a way to defend the weak this year.