Not Outsourced
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, you did not send help from a distance; you sent your Son to be with us. Teach me to love the way you love. Amen.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:16-18, NIV)
John, writing to believers late in his life, grounds Christian love in the sacrifice of Jesus and then makes it intensely practical.
REFLECT:
The second heart question Pastor Rodney asked is: Have I outsourced my compassion? It is easy to assume someone else will take care of it. The government will handle it. A nonprofit will step in. Maybe I will give a little money and move on with my life.
Giving and supporting good organizations matter. But Jesus never asked his followers to hand compassion off entirely to someone else. He calls us to see people, to meet them, and to share his love face to face. When we show up in person, we do something policy alone never can: we let someone know they are seen and loved by God.
John reminds us that love is measured in actions and in truth. A CarePortal delivery, a bed built for a child, a meal shared with a neighbor: these are love made visible. The body of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, is God's plan for reaching the forgotten.
APPLY:
Move from words to actions by choosing one way to show up in person: help build a bed for a child, or learn how to serve on a CarePortal delivery team. Find out more in the Pathway App or at pathwaychurch.com/fostercare.
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will take action to remember the forgotten.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, you laid down your life for me. Show me where I have been content to let others love on my behalf. Move me from words to actions and let my love be true. Amen.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.