Has this ever happened to you? This past Sunday, I felt like I was focusing on worship, but then God spoke through one of the songs so powerfully that I was almost in tears.
 
Perhaps you know it – By Our Love by Christy Nockels?
  
I wanted to share the lyrics with you because I think they speak so much to what sponsorship and ministry is all about – and the change that is possible because of that commitment.

Brothers, let us come together
Walking in the Spirit, there's much to be done
We will come reaching, out from our comforts
And they will know us by our love...

Sisters, we were made for kindness
We can pierce the darkness as He shines through us
We will come reaching, with a song of healing
And they will know us by our love!

The time is now
Come Church arise
Love with His hands
See with His eyes
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love

Children, You are hope for justice
Stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above
You will be reaching, long after we're gone,
And they will know you by your love!

The time is now
Come Church arise
Love with His hands
See with His eyes
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love

The stanza for the children made me gasp. That is our hope for this ministry, that the opportunities sponsorship presents to a child in deep poverty will empower them to stand for justice, that they, standing firm in the Truth, can make an eternal difference in their village, their country, their world. 

It is hard not to get overwhelmed – there is truly “so much to be done.” But still we are called to reach out, even if it is a sacrifice to do so, and allow Jesus’ love to be present in every action, word, or thought.

I hope you are encouraged in your sponsorship today. In all your actions as a sponsor, you are rising up for the sake of others. Your sponsorship proves to a child that God sees him and hears his need, and that someone values his life and wants him to succeed. Thank you for helping children come to know Jesus because of the how you love. May this legacy of hope continue long after we are gone.