The Heart of God

Today, I received in the mail a DVD I had requested from a ministry called Life Outreach. One day as I sat at a friend's house doing laundry, I was watching the program and it moved me deeply. I thought to myself... "Every person who calls themselves a Christian MUST see this video." I emailed the ministry, and they GLADLY sent me the DVD at no cost, as my intention was to share the very heart of God with everyone I knew through this footage. The purpose of this ministry is to minister to the orphaned and abandoned children of India. I have seen this show many times before. However, this time it was VERY different. Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Kathy Troccoli had been on a missions trip with these wonderful people, and was forever changed as she encountered Jesus Christ in these children and their unspeakable suffering. She felt the very heartbeat of God and was completely broken in His presence. The footage is so powerful. She is shown with a sweet, precious little boy named Santoosh who lost his mom and dad to disease, and as Kathy sat with him, he showed her a picture of his "papa". As she spoke, he began to caress the picture of his dad, and tears began to pour down his face, as he tried to gain comfort and love and peace from the picture of his dad. Kathy's heart was again broken before God (as was mine), and suddenly the scriptures leapt to life in my soul... "Inas much as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me." "LOVE covereth a MULTITUDE of sins." "I will show you my faith BY my works." As much as proper salvation doctrine is vitally important, I believe many times we as Apostolic Pentecostal Christians major so much on the strict adherance to the doctrine that we miss the heartbeat of God. My pastor and the pastor of the Burlington UPC have both preached THIS WEEK about Christians who camp out just inside the gate of salvation and don't go any further ( my pastor calls it "borderland"). I don't care if Mother Theresa was catholic. She loved the people of Calcutta, India, and gave her life in service to them that they might know the love of Jesus Christ, who also gave His life FOR them. Her love, the love of Jesus expressed through her to a lost and dying people, covers a multitude of sins, and I won't be the least bit surprised to see her in heaven!! The catholic religion may not have the doctrine correct, but they understand the love of God very well! Sometimes I wonder if WE have a grasp on it the way Kathy Troccoli now does? This link is a devotional describing a little of what I saw and experienced on the DVD. Please, please, consider helping this ministry to minister to the little ones in India. "Suffer the little children to come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Be blessed.

PS I shared this DVD with my two children, and they were moved with compassion as Kathy Troccoli spoke of children in America wanting new gameboys and computer games, when instead they should be desiring to use their money as a tool to help children just like them to have a home, food and clothing, and people to love them, since most are without parents to give them this very basic need. Adam begged me to write the phone number down, and both boys were willing to give of their own money to help God's precious children. I told them it was admirable to want to send money, and if they felt like Jesus was telling them to, then by all means, obey Jesus. However, we discussed the importance of prayer in this case as well. We will do what we can by PRAYER first, and giving second. Who knows? God may call my boys to the foreign mission field in the future... Jesus, thank you for showing your heart to my boys. Let the seed take root and grow strong and produce abundant fruit. Amen.