the fatherless, the orphans....

So, the conversation went something like this:

Christian friend #1- "I feel like James 1:27 (religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows...) is a call to ALL Christians to DO SOMETHING for the orphans in the world."

Christian friend #2-  (knowing that friend #1 has adopted 2 children) "It sounds like that verse is very special to you."

Okay, so this comment by my friend #2 has me fired up.  I am not fired up towards this person AT ALL.  But instead, fired up over this mentality that is sooooooooooo prevalent in some Christian circles that there are certain verses in the Bible that are only for those who are "called" by God to do something about them.  I don't get it.  I mean, I don't hear people saying that John 3:16 is only for some Christians, but not all.  Or for the sweet promises that God has for those who believe in Him...NO, it seems EVERY Christian wants  those verses to be applicable to them.  But as for the verses that command us to care for the poor/needy/orphans/fatherless/oppressed we seem to think THOSE verses are only for some. 

Don't get me wrong.  I am NOT even close to claiming that I am following God wholeheartedly in His commands to ME to be His hands and feet to these people.  But I want to. And I can tell you that I DO believe that He wants to speak to me through EVERY SINGLE WORD of His Holy Book.  And I DO think that He does want me to have a heart for what is important to Him and I also think that He wants me to be surrendered to Him and WILLING to be used by Him in any, and every, capacity. 

Come on people, let's get some PASSION for serving the Lord!  Come on!!!!!!!!!!!

If we actually stopped and spent some time on some of these harder things that He is asking us to do, I think our minds would be blown by how He could use us to LOVE LOVE LOVE on those HE LOVES soooo much, the least of these.  I think too often we don't think out of the box and we don't have faith and we don't take risks.  We see the word "poor/needy" and we JUST think of the guy on the corner asking for money.  When we see the word "orphan", we think "adopt".  etc etc.  (I am TOTALLY talking about myself here.)  And so all of these "solutions" to these "problems" make us uncomfortable so we turn that page of our Bible and think, "how nice it is of that family who adopted.  I am sure glad God is not calling me to do that.  I could never do it."  AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh.  Okay, just had to scream for a minute. 

WHAT IF.  What if we actually stopped on those verses and cried out to God.  Cried out to Him asking Him to SHOW us how He wants us to FOLLOW HIM to these people that He loves so much.  I DO NOT THINK that every person is called to adopt.  We could pray, we could send money, we could go short term, we could go long term, we could fundraise, we could pray for the orphans, we could pray for the families who are adopting, we could do foster care, we could provide some short relief for those who are fostering.......God is so stinkin awesome and creative in how He works, who knows how He could use us to "defend the cause of the fatherless.".  If only...if only we are still before Him  and choose to believe that ALL the commands in His word are for us, not just some. 

In the first chapter of Isaiah, God's chosen people are scolded by God (and I mean big time!) for their sin....for turning their backs on Him.  Listen to these powerful words: "See how the faithful city has become a harlot!  She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her- but now murderers...Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves;  they all love bribes and chase after gifts.  They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;  the widow's case does not come before them.  Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares:...I will turn my hand against you....."

And after God calls them out on their sin, He gives them 8 things that He DOES want them to do.  And you got it, one of the eight:  "defend the cause of the fatherless."

There are around 150 MILLION orphans in our world and there are countless ways to interpret the "fatherless".  What is He saying to you?