Scripture: 1st John 3:18-19
Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God’s presence.
Thought for the Day: There are many things for which I hope – some personal, some communal. Today, as we stand at the cusp of a new year, I find myself hoping for a slave-free world. It is estimated that there are currently 50 million people in the world who are held as slaves, and another one billion who are in situations where they could easily find themselves enslaved. Of course, this is not simply a problem in some faraway land where people are uneducated or immoral (that’s sarcasm by the way). It is happening right here in our country, and right here in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. Our church has heard Chris Baker from INK180 speak on the subject, and coming in about a month, a survivor of trafficking, Theresa Flores, will bring her ministry to Cypress Creek Christian Church in advance of the Big Football Game. Her ministry – S.O.A.P. (Saving Our Adolescents from Prostitution) – will be at our church on Saturday, January 28. The programs will consist of: 1. An education piece; 2. Wrap bars of soap with information on how to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline; 3. Deliver these bars of soap to hotels across the city. I hope you will sign-up, and invite others outside our church to participate. May I suggest that showing our love and concern in this manner is one of the ways we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God’s presence.
Prayer: When our children are exploited, Lord of All, we cannot hide or pretend such things do not exist. Make us your instruments of rescue, change and transformation. Amen.
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