Who is your neighbor? Who are you required to help in this world? Should you be involved in the business of rescuing others, or is it just better to sit by and watch people suffer?
A religious leader asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied with a story about a man who was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes and beat him, leaving him almost dead.
A priest saw the injured man and quickly passed on the opposite side of the road. So did a second priest! Then a Samaritan man, considered lowlier than a dog but evidently having some wealth, took pity on the stranger, bandaged his wounds, put him in an inn and cared for him.
Jesus then posed this question, “Which of these three men was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hand of the robbers?” The religious leader responded, “The one who had mercy on him.”
In every human soul, there is a void—an emptiness, waiting to be filled. What will you pursue to fill that void? Success? Family? Prosperity? Education? Or are you willing to step out and set a different standard for your life? A standard that can make a difference?
When Jesus comes into a life He brings the world with Him. Suddenly, a person with limited motivation, expectation and imagination starts to dream of doing the impossible. Dare to think limitless in some area of your life. Understand that there is more to you than meets the eye. Jesus sees the real person you are to become. He puts a vision in your heart that is bigger than what you can do without Him.
Scripture gives us an expectation of this new life that will ignite our passion for the adventures God is calling us to. Years ago, as we got out of a boat into the water off Bahol Island in the Philippines, the moonlight hit the water at just the right angle to reveal thousands of snakes in the water beneath us!
We survived, and you will too, as you get out of the boat and take the risk of walking on water. God will never give up on you. Never forget that. And that’s not all: as we throw open our doors to God, we discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us!
Did you know that India has a population of 1.2 billion people? Drs. Chandra and Leela Bose started the Bethel Bible College in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in 2002, because of the burden they felt to reach their country with the Good News. Their desire is to take this Good News to the utmost regions of their country, with no community left out.
The bible tells us that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. India needs literally millions of laborers to take the gospel to 1.2 billion people! Hundreds of thousands of bible colleges are necessary so that the indigenous leadership can be equipped with the scriptural, theological education necessary to go and preach the gospel to the people of their own languages, in their own states and communities.
Drs. Chandra and Leela Bose are pastors and educators, religious leaders, and founders of churches and schools, colleges and many social programs, including the extraordinary after school tutoring and feeding program, “5 Loaves 2 Fish.” This remarkable outreach provides a warm meal and tutoring that helps establish a holistic foundation in a child’s formative years. Impacting more than just these hungry children, whole families are being strengthened and encouraged through the program!
I encourage you to go to our website and watch our previous interviews where you’ll learn much about their work in the nation of India. http://bit.ly/1LfFLFF. To watch the 5 Loaves 2 Fish afterschool program in action, click here: http://bit.ly/1JeS94S
