A House Built on Love: Answering God's CallSample

A Heart of Compassion

Ten years ago, Ed Walker felt God was calling him to do something. Following that call wasn’t easy; it was a struggle, and was frightening at times,. But with perseverance and faith, he created something amazing: Hope into Action, a charity that encourages churches to buy and build homes for the homeless and ex-offenders. 

The team at Hope into Action has witnessed amazing miracles and heart-breaking failures. We measure success on whether a tenant has felt loved along their journey with us. We are passionate about seeing church congregations get out of their pews and living, loving, and journeying with people. Non-judgmental and compassionate. Loving like Jesus did and does. 

Luke tells us that just prior to feeding the 5,000, Jesus welcomed the crowds, spoke about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. We seek to follow his model, learn how to welcome people, share truth with them, and see them healed. How do we welcome people into our homes? How do we bring healing to those who need healing?

A well-known song pleads with God to “Give me a heart of compassion, give me a hope for the lost.” If we have experienced the love of God in our lives, it’s only right that we should want to share that love with others. God doesn’t wait for us to have our lives sorted before he meets with us (phew!). He reaches into the mess, chaos and reality of our lives and offers us love, acceptance, and hope. 

Think about the love that you have freely received. How is God calling you to share that love? Follow along with us over the next seven days, and through Ed and Hope into Action’s story, discover how you can start to hear God's call and answer it. 

Today, take some time to ask God for a heart of compassion and hope for the lost, and think about how you can share God’s love with those around you.