“Come, let’s be going.” – NLT
“Rise, let us go away from here.” – AMP
“Get up. Let’s go. It’s time to leave here.” – MSG.
“Arise, let us go from here.” – NKJV

Above we have the last words of Jesus recorded in John chapter 14. Four different translations all with the same message. ‘Get up and move from where you currently are.’

In the spirit of being rather transparent, I’ve really been struggling over the last week or so trying to decide what to write about next.

We could write and read hundreds of thousands of words detailing all the social justice issues in our world. I could write about the profiles of people who decided to lay it all down, lay it all on the line, and go to work as the hands and feet of Jesus. I could write about sex trafficking, about hunger, preventable diseases, the need for clean water, and so on. Honestly, in the next few posts I will do just that. However, I was reading through my devotions this evening and these words, the quotes above, struck me.

What is the one thing that remains in common with everyone who has ever fought for a specific cause? The progression of awareness to activism.

Let’s spend some time imagining together, shall we? You’re sitting in church one Sunday morning when the guest speaker takes the stage. Mr. Jones, today’s guest speaker, is sharing a video with your congregation detailing the issues of hunger and starvation in Africa. You see an emotionally moving video, you hear the compelling message attached with this video, and you feel as though you should do something. You may spend the next 5 minutes, the next 5 hours, or the next 5 days seriously thinking through the awareness that has been spread to your heart about the issue. Then, at least for me, you have this moment of cold water being splashed in your face. You think ‘this issue is too big for me to get involved. I’ll never do anything to help.’ That can be a very real and scary moment. Why? Because what you do next will determine the fate of those people effected by the issue.

It’s completely normal to have those feelings of ‘I can’t do anything, the issue is too great.’ It’s normal to have those feelings, but that doesn’t make those feelings right.
As I’ve said before, it’s not about the “what you do”, it’s just about the “you do”.

There is no job too small, and no offering too weak when it comes to helping souls that are broken, beaten, tortured and murdered. Anything you can give is of great need and requires you to sacrifice something of importance to your life.

We’ve been made aware of the issues. We’ve had our time of feeling like we want to take on the world and save everyone, and then we’ve felt like we’ll never do anything because the issues are too big. Now comes the words of Jesus in John chapter 14.

“Get up. Let’s go. It’s time to leave here.”

At this moment, you must get up and move forward. All it requires is a passionate heart, a little faith, and moving your feet forward one step at a time. When we stand still, when we sit down, because we feel the immense weight of the issues, that’s when lives are lost and unfortunate circumstances stay the same. When we decide to listen to Jesus, well, that’s when worlds change. That’s when love comes into the hearts of the people, that’s when children are restored to their families, that’s when clean water is freely distributed to the masses, when medical care if released to those on the verge of death, and when malnourished populations receive the food and nutrition they need.

You are more than able to become the solution to the world’s problems. It takes faith, hope, love, passion, and it requires you standing up and taking a few steps forward.

Remember, anything you can give, any time you can spare, anything you can do to save lives, is needed. There is no sacrifice, no offering too small.