[Difference Makers ls] Live Heart Healthy Sampel

Serve Orphans and Widows

Loving the orphan and the widow is not an option for the Christian. There are things that are kind of optional. You are good at hospitality; well, I am not. You do this; I do that. God has given everyone different gifts. But all throughout the Scriptures you find God commanding us to care for the widow and the orphan. At different times, the prisoner is thrown in there too, as are strangers. The point is, God cares about people who are defenseless. He wants us to defend them. 

I am not saying that widows or widowers are not strong people. Because they have faced hardship, they may be stronger than any of us. But I am saying that God has called us to work on behalf of the orphan and the widow. They need us, as the body of Christ, to be their defenders. 

So, God gets really specific. He commands the people of Israel, and us, to care for the orphan and the widow. God has been blessing our church for 175 years. I think our emphasis on supporting widows and orphans has brought us a deeper blessing of God. 

We help widows. Every one of our deacons has a widow assigned to him that he connects with, cares about, and makes sure is doing well. We also have a ministry to widows, to help them with whatever is needed. Every so often, we organize a day for the men in our church to serve others. Our men come together, put on t-shirts, and show up at widows’ houses with power tools. They paint, they fix, they do what is needed. Our budget includes giving to our denomination’s retirement program, which helps widows. 

We help orphans. We have been a part of more than 100 adoptions, providing assistance for special needs cases. We help orphanages, or orphan ministries. We have a full-time staff member in charge of adoptions and orphans at our church. 

Part of living heart healthy is being a person who is not selfish, but selfless. Living heart healthy means not focusing on ourselves, being defensive, and protecting our turf and our stuff, but stepping forward to defend somebody else. 

Lord, I want to make a difference. Help me stop doing evil, start doing good, and help widows and orphans. 

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