A Heart For God's People

Romans 9:2

Mark 6:31-37

Who do you have a heart for? What are you doing about it? Sometimes we hear about people in a difficult situation and our appropriate response is a single prayer or donation. Sometimes we hear about people and it is good and right for us to pray for them but not do anything to help them, or maybe to give a little money now and then but not focus our resources on that group of people. Sometimes though we are invited by Christ Jesus to be a part of the answer, one of those responding to the need and making a difference in the lies of those particular people. These may be non-Christians in another part of the world, homeless in your own town, individuals in struggling marriages, unborn babies and their mothers, Christian teenagers caught in a culture war, disabled veterans, children stuck in the foster care system...the list of groups of needy people I can think could fill an entire book. There is no possible way for one individual to reach out and make a difference for all these groups of people. But we can say a prayer for each of them as they come to mind, we can give a portion of our lives and hearts to several of them, and we can (should) spend a much greater portion on one or two which God has called us to reach out to. His call is not a trial, it is an invitation to join Him in mission: an honor and a blessing and an opportunity rather than a punishment. Paul's heart was for his fellow Jews who did not yet recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. When they refused to listen then he spoke with Gentiles and gave them the message. Who do you have a heart for? Who do you spend the greater portion of your life and heart to serve?