I want to start this off by asking a question; have you seen Jesus today?
Maybe this is a better question,
Have you looked for Jesus today?
Think about that while I share some statistics with you, ready?
One.  Do you have food in your refrigerator?  Clothes on your back?  A roof over your head?  What about a place to lay your head every night?
If you do have these things you are richer than almost 75% of the world.
Two.  Do you have money in the bank (checking account or savings account)?  A little bit of cash in your wallet?  What about a tray of spare change on your dresser, or even a jar of coins stashed away somewhere?
Get this. You are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthiest people.
Okay, so pretty amazing statistics right? I would say more humbling than anything else.
So back to my first question(s), have you seen Jesus today? and/or have you looked for Jesus today?  There is a pretty hefty chunk of scripture that I want to refer to, so for the sake of the length of this blog this is going to be on you to read, if you don’t have a bible handy definitely check out youversion.com.  If you have your bible take a look at Matthew 25:31-46, yes, “the least of these”.  Take some time and read it, then come back.
Done?
Heavy stuff huh?  Throughout all of scripture Jesus identified with the poor in amazing ways.  Not only did he identify with them, but he was one of them.  Look at where Jesus was born, as well as his upbringing too.  Jesus was born in a dirty manger, a feeding trough, Jesus, God, the King of the universe could have been born in a palace, in comfort, but he wasn’t.  It says in scripture that there were times when Jesus had no place to lay his head, no place to sleep at night.  When he rose on the third day he rose in cave, not in a palace, not in a place of luxury.  So is it really any wonder that Jesus associates himself with the “least of these”?
What do we do with this?  How do we react?  As Christ followers we experience God’s grace and love, we realize that grace is given as a gift, we respond to grace, we respond to forgiveness, as a response to gratitude, with LOVE, we LOVE because He first LOVED us.
Tom Davis wrote in his book called RED LETTERS:
“I’ve discovered a new way to live.  Every morning when I get out of bed, I look for Jesus.  No, not because I have misplaced Him.  And I am not talking about a feeling I get during prayer, or a revelation that comes to me while reading scripture.  I’m talking about Jesus in the eyes of real people, in the eyes of the poor, the handicapped, the oppressed, the orphan, the homeless, the AIDS victim-the abandoned and the forgotten.”
Jesus is everywhere, in everything, and experiencing him in Ethiopia; on every corner, walking the streets, laughing, smiling, crying; will hopefully open our eyes to see him and experience him more and more back home.
I’m sorry if this seems to be scrambled, or unorganized, maybe just all over the place, but it seems fitting because that is where my heart/mind is as I write this, all over the place.  I’m trying to wrap my head around being able to express
an unconditional love,an unending love,a love that can only come from God.
My prayer is that compassion will flow through us, that our eyes will be opened to see Him face to face, that His love can radiate through us, transforming our hearts and resonating in the hearts of others.
So. How are you responding?  How are we responding?

Dylan