Hands and Feet


Music and Lyrics: Charles Germany
Instruments: Charles Germany

Become the Hands and Feet of God!

All the suffering that we see around us wasn't "God's will". God doesn't hate us. It's just that He gave us the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, and this is what we did with it. War, destruction, greed, prejudice, hunger, death and broken hearts. Jesus showed us a better way - become the hands and feet of God.
 

In the parable of the goats and the sheep, Jesus tells us ironically that it is those who have concern for the poor, the hungry, the naked, the thirsty, the imprisoned and the sick that are among heaven's "elect", not those who appear "spiritual" in the traditional understanding of that terminology. Jesus seems to be pointing us to an inescapable conclusion: How do we treat those around us - the less fortunate, total strangers, coworkers, our family, our friends, our enemies? Do we care? Do we love? (Matthew 25:31-46)

Jesus is telling us to become the Hands and feet of God. If there are hungry, hurting people around us we're to be the ones to reach out and touch them. Each of us becomes God's epistle to them. They will know who we follow by the love we have for one another (John 13:34-35).

Since I got out of the hospital in February we have been seeking God's guidance. We have felt Him pulling us in a new direction and desire to seek and follow "hard after him". God has placed on us a call to serve Him in missions. We reached out with the gospel, food and blankets to the homeless of Daytona, and we are grateful for the opportunities of service we had at Strong Tower. But it seems God wants something more from us, He is drawing us somewhere. It was scary leaving familiar surroundings and dear friends we had known for over a decade, but we felt God's call to, in the words of Mark Rutland, "Launch out into the deep".

As we began sojourning, only God knew that I had purposed in my heart NOT to get involved with anything. I wanted to take things slowly and seek God's direction for our new "leap of faith". I didn't want to jump ahead of God. Yet we met a sister named Rose Marie who gave us an invitation we could not refuse. She called it a "divine appointment". It certainly was.

At Calvary they bus in over 100 homeless every Sunday and provide food, clothing and showers. They also sponsor 110 missionaries doing similar activities all over the world. In addition to these missionary activities, they have many other outreaches to single parents, orphans and foster children, widows and the elderly and teens.

Something new is happening. I think it's the latter rain, the fulfillment of God's promise to our generation. I can’t find the right words to describe it. I have never before felt so consumed with fire. So drenched in rain. I know that faith is not feelings, but I ran on dry faith without any emotion or passion for so long it feels incredible - delectable - to feel passion and desire coursing through my veins once again.

I worship until my body hurts and aches, and that's a good thing. I feel renewed. Rejuvenated. Refreshed. Inspired. Alive. I was twice dead then brought back to life. Resurrected. Rain is falling again. The desert is coming back to life.

I can’t get enough. I want more. I hunger. I thirst. I want the spirit of David to fall on me - I too want to dance until my clothes fall off, until I abandon my dignity and swallow my pride. I don't care if anyone around me despises me for what I do, I want to make a complete fool of myself in worship for Jesus. Christ is worthy of that much of me and more! When you feel God’s presence all around you nothing else in the universe matters. Absolutely nothing. You are consumed completely. Enveloped in joy and ecstasy.

The feeling is difficult to describe. It is like being possessed, though not by a demon, but by the Holy Spirit of God. It makes you want to love, to forgive, to serve, to be merciful and show kindness - almost without any effort. You lose all control and it just takes over. So much joy and love and power and peace. You can’t help but worship. Your whole life becomes a song, it flows out of you like a river – you begin to love everyone around you like you feel Jesus loving you.

You want to give Him everything, every muscle fiber, every bone and sinew and ounce of strength and desire in your voice and body. How could I have ever been so impassionate about the greatest sacrifice ever made and the greatest gift ever given?

Come on, people! It dishonors Jesus if the Dallas Cowboys or the Baltimore Ravens get more passion and strength and devotion at the Super Bowl than the passion we give God in His own house.

Look at those hardcore football fans as an example. They shave their heads, paint their faces and bodies, rip off their clothes and dance in the rain for their favorite football teams. They lose all inhibition, they don't care what anyone thinks about them - they just love their team and will do anything to cheer them to victory. How can we dare give the Messiah less passion and zeal than a football team?

From another perspective, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against invisible principalities and powers and spiritual forces. God told Israel to send out their singers and worship Him and He would fight the battle for them. Praise and worship are a type of spiritual warfare.

Sometimes we have to let out a battle cry that strikes fear into the hearts of our enemy - that battle cry is praise. It should come from within us with all the passion and strength we are capable of, like thunder unleashed to glorify the King of Kings.

I don't know where this ends, but I see where it begins...

We are the Hands
and Feet of God.

He chooses to work
through our human
frailties rather than commandeer our world by force and coercion.

He wants our willing
participation in His
plan.

To each of us He grants the right to choose,  good or evil, life or death, kindness
or cruelty.

Choose love.

Choose kindness.