God’s Power in Us: The Holy Spirit of Love
The greatest tool, the greatest weapon, the greatest power you have in your life is the Holy Spirit of LOVE, which is the power of God IN YOU. It is not by human might or power that anything of eternal value gets accomplished, but by HIS Spirit working in you and through you—through LOVE. It is LOVE that overcomes every obstacle, defeats every force of evil, and breaks every chain of bondage. It is LOVE that wins hearts and empowers people to change, LOVE that builds individuals, communities, cities, and nations, and LOVE that shows the world, “Jesus is REAL; He is GOD.” Jesus said that by our love people would know that we are His (John 13:35). And in 1 Corinthians 13, God even tells us that love is more important than heavenly or earthly speech, than knowledge, than miracle-working faith, than giving to the poor, and even than martyrdom! In fact, according to Galatians 5:6, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
“…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). Because we have received God’s Holy Spirit of Love, we can give that same love to others…others like José Antonio Randu.
Jose Antonio Randu is 11 years old and he entered the orphanage this August, having been brought by a social worker who describes the boy’s situation as very “complicated”. José’s father died last year, and José’s mother is a lesbian who is unwilling to take responsibility for her 3 children. She took José, his 9-year-old brother, and their 8-month-old sister to their grandmother’s house and deserted them. All that the social services department has been able to learn about the mother’s whereabouts is that she is living with another woman now. She refuses to respond to attempts at communication. The grandmother lives with another man and did not care well for the children, which is why the children repeatedly escaped from her home and sought to earn money in the streets. You can see why government authorities removed the young children from such a dangerous situation. Thankfully, the orphanage was granted the opportunity to receive both of the boys.
José is in the 5th grade and looks healthy according to medical records. He appears to be accepting his new life at the orphanage and will hopefully allow the love of God to reach into the deepest places of his heart. Because of your faith being expressed through LOVE, the doors to the orphanage have remained open, and we are able to continue supplying the home with monthly utilities. It is your generous expression of the love of God that enables us to continually sow money into Peru to secure a brighter future for boys like José. We are counting on your prayers for him this month and your continued participation in the Lord’s work through the ministry of Home of Refuge.
Rosa and I have plans to return to Lima and Cusco during September so that we can visit the orphanage, provide them with our monthly support, make Will’s college payment, and minister the Word of God on Veronica Mountain while we hand out food. We want to thank you for making this possible.
It is an exciting season ahead! As autumn approaches, the weather cools, fall colors fill the landscape, and soon-to-come holidays provide us with opportunities to gather with friends and family. As we embark on the journey ahead of us and enter this final quarter of 2017, I exhort you to keep LOVE as the priority and the motive behind all that you do. Remember that God’s very power resides within you—His Holy Spirit of LOVE! Allow HIS LOVE to touch you, to change you, to compel you, and to flow out of you to others.
For the glory of JESUS,
Tony and Rosa Rivera
Home of Refuge International, Inc.
