“The Christian faith is far more precious than all the riches and treasures of earth; more glorious and greater than all its honors, all its possessions. This it is which saves sinners, gives light to the blind, restores penitents, perfects the just, and is the crown of martyrs.”
Augustine of Hippo in The Lives of the Saints by Alan Butler, 1894 (Global Grey edition, 2019) 2 May reading.
One of the things Jenni and I experienced in Ukraine has been the “far more precious” value of the Christian faith. It’s the greatest gift we can give.
Each day it gives people new life, like these pictured above at Hope Family Center in Saltivka, just east of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
When Russian started bombing the city, most everyone under about age 55 left. That’s when our friend Andrey Kratsev moved toward to broken and hurting.
All he took was the Christian faith and a helping hand. Soon, he planted this church. Jenni and I will never forget hearing the stories of how these people lost everything and found Jesus.
One after another went from from blind to seeing, from poor to rich, and they kept saying one thing to us over and over. “Thank you for coming. Few people come to visit us.”
We gave them a generous gift by coming to visit and sharing God’s love. Our hope and help lifted their spirits and strengthened their fledgling faith.
Who might you visit to share God’s love? Don’t try to convince them. Invite them to come to drink for free and find the satisfaction for which their soul longs.