We live in a broken world. A heartbreaking, fallen, sinful world. But we have a longing. A deep longing for something. Something more than ourselves and more than we can put into words. We long for peace. To be valued. To be loved.

This longing motivates us to go to work. This week at UW-Stevens Point it is Justice Week. It is a week to build awareness to those who have not heard. On campus, our International Justice Mission (IJM) chapter spearheads Justice Week. IJM is a group of students motivated by their love for Christ to be agents of change in our community and in IJM’s global work.

It is about fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. It is about seeking justice for the oppressed. It is about freedom.

Freedom.

It is one of the only words that can change the mind of a man. It is one of the only words that stir our world in such a way that it could cause a full-scale revolution. Why is this?

What is it about this word — freedom — that defines our hearts in such ways that we would be willing to die for it?

This word causes us to act. It is a word that not only touches hearts, but the humanity within us — the very core of our being that we were made. Freedom is the road that our hearts sprint down after we have found a sense of worth in this world.

It is the feeling of pure joy as we realize that our life is worth something — that we are meant for something more than ourselves and that we are an important character in His eternal book.

Freedom. 

God’s masterful fingerprints are all over it. To have true freedom is to surrender your life to Him and His purpose for you.

When you do that, you are not of this world anymore, but only a visitor waiting to return the freedom of Heaven.

Once we surrender our life to God, it’s only the beginning of the pure freedom we experience.

Every single day of our life we are free from our one true flaw, our flesh. We are free from bondage and ordained as Saints. We are allowed the grace and mercy to be missionaries to this world, and to give back to the world what God first gave us.

Freedom.

For those of you who might not know, there is an estimated 27 million slaves around the world today (2.2 million of that being children). This is more than in any other time in history. This slavery comes in the forms of sex trafficking, child labor, or even indentured servitude.

The global income of the sex trade industry exceeds the yearly incomes of Nike, Google, and Starbucks combined.

I’ll do the math for you — that’s more than 32 billion dollars.

The average age for a person sold into the sex trade is 13 years old.

It is our duty, as members of the body of Christ, to rise up and stop this oppression and darkness plaguing this world. We as members of the Christian body must stand up and say “NO!” to this and actively seek out ways to stop it.

We must seek to restore victims of oppression the things that God intends for them: their lives, liberty, and dignity.

The first and best way we can do this is by prayer. Pray for the oppressed, that the Lord shows them real freedom in Him, real love. Pray also for the souls that cause slavery to exist in the world today. May the Lord touch their hearts and show them their sin that is causing so much despair and pain in the world today.

“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” Isaiah 1:17.

Let us make a pact together to never take our freedom for granted, for I am easily guilty of that each and every day.

Let us together link arms and never take what we have for granted, especially our freedom in Jesus Christ.

Let us together make a difference in the world by showing the love that Jesus Christ gives to us daily.

Let us together give back to the Lord what He first gave us. Life.

You. Are. Invaluable.

If there is nothing else you take away from this post, know this.

You. Whoever you are reading this, are invaluable. Not only to this world but to God Himself. It only takes one person for God to speak through to change the lives of millions. You could be that person. Make a difference. Take a stand, and pray.

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26