Great Words of Advice/Wisdom

I received a follow up email from Jedd Medefind the President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans with a few pieces of advice concerning out time at the conference and all that we walked away with. I thought it was excellent and wanted to pass it on because I feel like it great advice for most things in life. Enjoy!

Don’t let a big vision keep you from a small obedience.  It can be thrilling to catch the vision for a great undertaking, from building a new ministry to becoming a foster parent.  Yet it can also be paralyzing, especially as we consider all it would take to bring it to completion.  But that’s not God’s call to us today.  His call, most often, is to a little act of faithfulness today, a single step forward.  All that lies on the road beyond the present is God’s business.  Our responsibility is to the one action we can take today.

Be fervent in prayer. To draw near to an orphan is to draw near to God.  Whether via adoption, orphan ministry, or otherwise, we come—like Moses did—to stand on holy ground.  So we must always tread forward with deep reverence and supplication.  Equally important, if God cares deeply about this work, we ought to keep in mind that His enemy does as well.  As much as any aspect of life, this battle is not against flesh and blood.

Engage with others. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs, and Paul never traveled alone.  If God is calling you to deeper ministry to the fatherless, I’m confident He wants you to engage it with co-laborers, mentors and other allies.  Seek these out, both in your church and community, and also as a member of the growing community of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

Never lose connection to the one Source that’s good for the long journey. The world’s need is vast, and we have every reason to weep over it as Jesus did at the tomb of Lazarus.   But this alone will not sustain us for the distance, especially as we encounter disappointments and difficulty.  The world’s great need will always outstrip our enthusiasm to solve it.  The only wellspring that will never run dry is to draw always from the unfathomed love of our God, who pursued us, defends us, and calls us His own.  “We love because He first loved us.”