by Christine Pettit
I recently had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Gary Haugen, founder of the International Justice Mission based in Washington, D.C. The premise of his message was that two things make God’s heart beat: His passion for the world and His passion for justice.
Haugen went on to paint a picture of the current state of the world. He mentioned that there are over 1.5 billion people in the world who do no have access to medical care. He told the stories of young boys and girls who have been forced into labor against their will. He told us of a young Indian boy who had been required to work at a brick factory over 14 hours a day, 7 days per week. He explained that there are estimates of up to 15 million children held in slavery…in India alone. He went on to present story after story of injustice in our world today.
At the climax of his message, he posed a question that has stuck with me everyday. He asked, “If God loves justice, what is His answer to the injustice in the world?” Silence fell over the audience of 8,000 college students as we waited in breathless expectation for the solution that he had found. His answer was simple: “you are.”
2 Corinthians 5:20: Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Micah 6:8: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you ?but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
In my selfishness and complacency, I was hoping for a different answer. We are God’s plan to face the injustice in the world today. We are posing the wrong question when we ask: “Why does God allow these things to happen?” We should be asking, “What part will God allow me to play in order to stop these things from happening?” God is appealing through us.
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