RIGHTEOUSNESS & JUSTICE
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.”
Psalm 89:14 New International Version (NIV)Righteousness means to love God. Justice means to love others. This verse tells us that Righteousness and Justice are foundational to who God is and to what He does. If we, the Church, are to follow God’s desire for our lives we need to love God and love others.
Who are the “others” we are talking about?
In James 1:27 (NIV) it says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” If this is God’s definition of religion – caring for some of the most vulnerable people in the world – then justice must begin with them. The AIDS pandemic has left millions of orphans and widows in its wake. They are vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, poverty and disease. We believe God’s heart begins with them.
Righteousness and justice are at the core of WOW. It is our catalyst for caring for orphans and widows in their distress and leading them to Jesus. Being rooted in these two key principles means we MUST respond to their immense need. We cannot say we love God and love our neighbour without first loving the most vulnerable around us.
AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults in sub-Saharan Africa, leaving a generation of orphans.
* The UN defines an orphan as a child who has lost one or both parents
“Here in central Zambia we’re surrounded by needy orphans, both living on the street and/or caring for themselves in little mud huts. We’re caring for 4000 of them. WOW is helping us be the hands and feet of Jesus with these vulnerable little ones.”
Pastor Eric Mwambelo, WOW Partner Zambia
19.4 million
people living with HIV in
sub-Saharan Africa
Widows are at risk of:
- Loss of property
- Sexual exploitation
- Decreased access to medical care
- Poverty
- Stigma and discrimination
- HIV infection
8.7 million
AIDS related orphans in
sub-Saharan Africa today
(80% of the global total)
Orphaned children are at risk of:
- Malnutrition
- Sexual exploitation & abuse
- HIV infection
- No access to education
- Lack of shelter
Source: UNAIDS, AVERT