It would be a mistake to allow this blog to simply focus on things that improve our personal lives. Life is not all about how comfortably we are able to live or the things that we accumulate. What really counts in the end is our relationship with Yahweh and what we did to reach out to people who are hurting, lost and in need.
There are some rather compelling words in the Bible that we do not want to ignore:
“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prson and go to visit You?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.’” (Matthew 25:35-40)
1.7 billion people in the world live in dire poverty.
26,000 children die every day due to starvation and preventable diseases.
There are 143 million orphans in the world.
50% of the world’s population lives on less than $2.00 a day.
And if you have running water, shelter over your head, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation, even if it’s public, then you are in the top 15% of the world’s wealthiest people.
26,000 children die every day due to starvation and preventable diseases.
There are 143 million orphans in the world.
50% of the world’s population lives on less than $2.00 a day.
And if you have running water, shelter over your head, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation, even if it’s public, then you are in the top 15% of the world’s wealthiest people.
It can seem like a daunting task to try to do something that makes any kind of impact when seeing statistics like that. But those numbers represent real people. If we all made a commitment to do things on a regular basis to help people like these, we could make an impact.
From the Home Base will regularly explore ways to reach out to “the least of these”, not to bring glory and attention to our own good deeds, but to magnify God among the homeless and helpless.
