In recent events, all of us have been soberly reminded of how finite our life really is! No one knows the day or the hour…so I have been asking God lately how we can put aside our minor differences so we can link arms to make a difference!
His answer is in HIS love.
1 John 4.16: “God is Love.”
1 John 4.10: “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
1 John 4.12: ”No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
John 15:9: “Jesus said, ‘As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.’”
John 15:12: “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.”
So yes, it is clear that God is love because eternity is at stake here! God’s expression of a Father’s Love toward the world — every nation, color, tongue and culture — is nothing short of inspirational. This is ultimately what inspired me to start serving weekly at Manna Market — to help people receive food and experience God’s love.
One day while serving, I was able to pray for a man who had been coming to receive food for awhile, but it wasn’t until COVID that he allowed me to pray for him and his mom in Florida, as he was worried about his mom’s well being. Seeing me week after week – unafraid and committed to praying – he finally said, “I’ve met many Christians in my life, but I’ve never met anyone like you ‘people’! I like what you’ve got and I want it too!” Since then, we have developed a relationship, and I now pray with him every week! He’s also told me that he listens to Christian radio, that he’s come to Substance a couple of times, AND he wants to start serving at Manna Market!
I also had the privilege of serving at our Downtown location recently where I met a man who told me he’d been beaten with a baseball bat and nearly died. He was in the hospital for three months unconscious. He said he had lost everything and was in a shelter now because he had no job and couldn’t even remember where he was sometimes or where he was going. He’s had to relearn how to talk, walk, and read. I listened; I wept. I felt his burdens, and I offered to pray for him. After praying, he sat down in the shade and said, “I always have a constant headache…but I feel better and my headache is less. There’s something in the atmosphere here…I like it, and it feels good! I will rest awhile here.”
This is not possible because of me because it’s not about me! It’s about God and his love for people. My eyes are beginning to see what God is doing in our city right now, and his invitation is for all of us. We are ALL welcome to join him!
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20).
Be charged with God’s Spirit, and have eyes to see and ears to hear his calling. Time is short. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Let’s pray that the Lord of the harvest will send more workers! Join me in praying for our city. The revival begins in partnering with God’s heart and love for this city and our world.
Kasha is a mom to two bigs and two littles and is originally from Poland and speaks 3 languages! She enjoys cultural diversity, food and music, and is even more passionate about loving God and loving people.