I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Psalm 140:12

This past weekend, I was in Jamaica for the Jamaica Link Ministries (JLM) annual board meeting. JLM is the Jamaican ministry that has facilitated our mission trips to the island for the past six years. Their facility is right on the Caribbean Sea next to a little strand of beach and seawall at the north end of the “hip strip” in Montego Bay. Almost every night, but especially on weekends, the hip strip is crowded with Jamaican late-night revelers who are enjoying reggae music, gentle ocean breezes, dancing, and not a little rum and marijuana. It’s like a giant block party with a Jamaican twist. It’s also a place where several Jamaican homeless men live, out-of-the-way in makeshift cardboard mats under a couple of palm trees. 

When I’m in Jamaica, in the very early morning, if my schedule allows, I like to cross the street and sit on the seawall or walk the beach and wade or even swim in the gentle lapping water of the bay. It’s a great place to take in the extraordinary beauty of the island and to pray and prepare for the day. 

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and headed out. I didn’t have much time, but I knew that God and I had an appointment on the hip strip and I didn’t want to miss it. As I opened the gate to the Jamaica link compound and slipped across the street to the beach, I saw that I was not alone. A homeless man dressed in rags was stooped over picking through the debris of last night’s party on the road and sidewalk. As I got a little closer, I saw what he was doing. He was painstakingly picking up each and every cigarette butt. If it was completely burned down to the filter he would discard it, but if it had even the slightest bit of unburned tobacco he carefully placed it into his pocket. Recycling cigarettes? Was he doing this to support his own addiction or hoping to collect enough tobacco to wrap smokes and sell them to others? I saw him out there several mornings while I was in MoBay. 

That pretty much wrecked me for the day. I couldn’t shake it. And the sad thing is, I know that this story is replicated all over the world, from the trash dumps of Manila to the slums of Rio de Janeiro- old and young, men and women, even children experience the tragic effects of sin, brokenness and injustice. What kind of desperation causes someone to attempt to make a living like that?

What kind of world do we live in? 

The world for whom Christ died. These are the people Jesus loves, that the church, His body is here to reach. Jesus came “to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners and to release the oppressed (Luke 4:18).”

 It’s very easy for me to get wrapped up in my own little world and troubles and forget that the kingdom of God is about BIG issues like healing, hope, reconciliation, extending grace and restoring the broken. As believers we are part of something so BIG- God’s mission to save the world. I have to admit; today as I looked over my last month’s Visa bill I was both blessed and challenged.  Blessed when I thought of all of the resources that God has given to me and challenged to make wise use of them for His Kingdom. 

November is a month of Thanksgiving.  “Thank you, Jesus for blessing me in so many ways. Lord, I want to be a blessing to others…”