Ponder: What scripture is God calling you to step into and live out this week?
Scripture: But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” -Luke 11:28
Karen's Thoughts: The verse that God has called me to focus on this week is Isaiah 43:19. I have been reading and journaling about it in various translations, but I am sharing the NLT version here:
"For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."
I understand why God led me to this scripture; it is precisely what I needed to be reminded of by my loving, faithful Father. For a while now, I have felt stagnant. Challenging areas in my life remain unchanged; the daily grind has worn me out, and to be honest, I often feel like a "dry wasteland." At this moment, believing in this verse is difficult, but I will continue to claim it and walk in faith, knowing that God is with me, God is for me, and God always keeps His promises. I trust that God has already begun something new, that soon it will be revealed, and it will be greater than I even anticipated.
Tom's Thoughts: Did you know that a little more than 25% of the world's population does not have safe drinking water? 2 billion people have no clean water to drink. They are so poor they do not have water to drink. The water they do have could make them very sick or kill them.
Karen and I have a whole-home water filtration system and an additional under-the-counter system for even better drinking water. We basically bath in bottled water. We are extremely blessed and wealthy compared to the billions around the world.
Jesus tells us time and time again in the Gospels to meet the needs of the poor. In 1 John 3:18 he says, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Karen and I support four children financially in Haiti through Compassion. This country lives in civil unrest. They have no central sewage system. They face a significant lack of access to clean drinking water. It’s a country that is battered by continuous natural disasters. It’s just a very difficult place to live.
We don’t always do a great job writing letters and communicating with them, but our monthly check for $43 always shows up for Ninchar, Darlens, Melissa and Peter Lee. We know how important this gift is to them, because they have told us so. We’ve watched entire families break down crying when a child in the family is sponsored. The most important thing for these children is Compassion teaches them about Jesus. Clean water and food is essential but Jesus is eternal. These children pray for us as well. Peter Lee just sent us a letter and said, “I pray to God to bless you and your family.” What a special child. We sent him money for his birthday and he bought a goat!
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17 Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life. 18 Instruct them to do as many good deeds as they can and to help everyone. Remind the rich to be generous and share what they have. 19 This will lay a solid foundation for the future, so they will know what true life is like.
If you are considering sponsoring a child through Compassion, it’s an easy process. Click this link Sponsor A Child. Maybe there is a particular country you’d like to find a child or one that shares your birthday. Maybe you will be pulled towards a child that has been waiting a very long time to be sponsored. Whatever child you choose, they will love you for choosing them.
Please share their first name, age and the country they reside in the comments below.
