I am a follower of Jesus. My faith is one thing that draws me toward the Safe Water September Challenge. You don’t have to call yourself a Christian to take the challenge, or to want to help people in need. But as someone who does, my Safe Water September challenge reflects what I believe.

I mentioned in my last post that Safe Water September helps me put my faith into action. I want to dive a little further in what I mean by that.

My faith is centred on Jesus. There are stories of Jesus recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. When I pray, study, read and reflect on the Bible, I see how Jesus always reached out to help people around him when he knew they needed help.  Jesus is on the side of the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable, and does everything he can to help them.

Jesus tells his followers about how loving God is shown in the ways you treat other people.

In the book of the Bible called James, James (the writer) says that, “Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!” (James 2:17, CEV)  I believe is that Jesus loves people who are poor and vulnerable. That’s part of my faith. That means I do my best to show that through my actions—my faith leads me to do good deeds. That’s what I mean when I say ‘put my faith into action’.

Safe Water September expresses a lot of the things I have learned from following Jesus. If a person doesn’t have the essential things they need to live, Jesus finds ways to help them get those things. Jesus listens to what people want and need, and empowers them, he doesn’t just barge in and tell them what they need to do. Jesus makes sacrifices, big and small, so that he can help others.

The ways Jesus helps transform lives is Good News for everyone, and particularly Good News for people who are poor. In the book called Luke, Jesus speaks to the community where he grew up and quotes the prophet Isaiah, saying, “The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’” (4:18-19, CEV) That’s something I can get behind!

People can put the same beliefs into action in lots of different ways. As we approach the challenge, there’s no better time to reflect on why we do this. What do you believe that calls you to take action for someone else? What prompted you to make this sacrifice, and care about people in need of Safe Water?

For me, Safe Water September helps to put my faith into action and be a part of Jesus’ Good News to people around the world. God created the world, and made all the people in it in God’s image. Every person is valuable, and every person is loved. That’s why every person deserves safe water.

To go deeper or hold a more in-depth discussion of how the Bible is oriented towards justice and compassion, download Bible Study Two at safewaterseptember.org.au/resources.