HSC South Africa Testimony – by Sean William Russell Smith

Luke 14v.12: “ Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. ”

When I think about giving to others without expecting anything in return, I think about the way Jesus gave his very life on the cross, knowing that nothing we could ever do would be able to repay that price. I love that for everything Jesus commands, he sets an example by doing it himself to a degree that we could never match. I can’t imagine having Jesus’ level of compassion or heart to give.

Being on the HOPE worldwide Singles Corps helped me to see his love in a new light. It was a convicting realization that of the all of the ways Jesus could have spent his time on earth, he spent it having face-to-face interactions with hurting and desperate people. Despite the fact that God knew us intimately even in the womb, he still sent his son to be face to face with us.