March 4, 2018

Advocate For Those In Need

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. – 1 Timothy 2:5

A sweet friend turned to Facebook with her rant. Her mother had fallen and broken her arm. After much pain and surgery, this dear woman was on the mend. Unfortunately, Medicare denied the claim. Her mother faced a huge medical bill because of this injustice.

My friend did what all caregivers and advocates do: She fought the bureaucrats and resolved the matter. It took numerous phone calls and most of a day to get it done. She was furious and rightly so. She also wondered what would have happened had her mother not had an advocate. She likely would have struggled to pay a bill she didn’t owe.

It happens every day. Caregivers generally spend hour upon hour monitoring bills, medical care and other such things. The loved one rarely has the ability – either physically or mentally – to monitor those things. Yet it must be done or someone will take advantage of them.

Those who don’t have someone looking out for them face an uphill struggle. They are at the mercy of what they do or don’t know and whoever happens to notice their vulnerability. It is a sad plight.

We aren’t much different. We are at the mercy of this fallen world. We stumble daily as we try to do “good” amidst all the temptations that surround us. We fail. There is no way we could ever get it all right.

But Jesus sits at the right hand of God. He advocates for us. He places His righteousness on us and declares that His blood covers our sins. We are saved by His sacrifice and His grace.

Can you imagine doing life alone? Can you even contemplate trying to get into heaven without Jesus’ help? It would be a failed mission. None of us would stand a chance. I am so thankful for what Jesus did!

And because of that I seek to help others who need assistance. I share Jesus with the lost and hurting. I reach out to those who are grieving, those who are sick, those who are alone. I want to do more. I need to do more. We are Jesus’ hands and feet in this dark world. How can we ever repay Him for what He did for us? We can’t – but we can try by loving those He loves.

Look around your world. Is there someone who is alone, someone who needs a friend, someone who is vulnerable? Pay attention. Reach out. Make the time to help. It might be something as simple as making sure that person has enough food to eat. Don’t assume that they do. The elderly frequently struggle to buy medicine, pay utilities and purchase food. Guess which one comes last? They are usually the last to say anything, the ones most likely to not know about resources available to them, the people who don’t want to bother anyone with their struggle.

It is our job as Christians to advocate for those God places before us. Don’t sit back and let someone else do what you’ve been called to do.