September 6, 2021
WE ARE ALL IMPORTANT TO GOD
Doug Kee
Volunteer and MMM Vice President, Michigan
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body,and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:6
TDuring the past year of enduring the worldwide pandemic, many of us have been unable to move about as we normally do. MMM trips have been cancelled for two years due to restrictions on international travel. So we have focused on our immediate home communities and the suffering of many right in our own neighborhoods. It’s been great to see neighbors helping neighbors in times of need. But, I have heard increasing voices asking, “Why are we sending aid to Africa when there is so much need right here?”
Does God call us to restrict our Christian love just to our neighbors down the street? Aren’t people in Africa also our neighbors? I believe the text written by Paul to the church in Ephesus clearly answers these questions. Paul wrote that the mystery of the Gospel is that all “are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
Paul took his stewardship of Christ’s message to the Gentiles very seriously, to the point that he was abused and suffered in prison for the sake of the message of Jesus Christ, to bring all of us together under the lordship of Jesus. In a recent sermon, the pastor stated “we cannot believe that we are optional extras in each others’ lives in order to manifest what the Gospel is supposed to do.” We all need one another in Christ’s kingdom.
So I take this message to mean that we are called to pray for and support any neighbors in need, whether in our home towns or in distant African villages. Our friends in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia are among the most vulnerable and marginalized people on the planet. The pandemic has impacted all of us, but the poor among us most severely.
In this time at home I have been glad to support local efforts to help those in need. But in following Christ’s message, I have also prayed for and sent financial support to MMM’s African team to continue the life saving work of the protected water program. God calls us to support our friends in need far away, even in times when life gets tougher at home.
Application Question: Have your priorities changed during the pandemic? Has your giving or service been redirected to local needs and away from overseas?
Prayer: Lord, it is difficult to see so much suffering and to decide who to assist. You teach us that we are not “optional extras” in each others’ lives. I ask your Spirit to guide my decisions on how I support brothers and sisters in need both here and in Africa. Amen.
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