I can't explain why God has allowed the distribution of wealth on this planet as it is, and I know the poor we will always have with us. What I do know is that He is expecting us to intelligently and strategically help our neighbours who have less resources. He is particularly interested in us finding and supporting those who have no means of support. So countries and Territories like ours are supposed to extend ourselves accordingly.
The extent of this concern is supposed to be until all have what they need to survive and even prosper. This will require even more effort on our part than we are already exercising. I believe the time is right for us to put our best minds together and demonstrate the providing love of God around the world. We have the means. Do we have the passion?
2 Corinthians 9:9 (NIV)
9 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
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5 comments:
Jim,
You are right. Scripturally, we are called to minister to the poor and defend them (Isaiah 1:17). The idea of self-denial has somehow left us. If we add up what most of us in 1st world countries spend on our daily or Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts or Tim Horton's (for my Canadian brothers) fix, we may well find that savings would be more than enough to make up most of the difference of what we need to help those in need. All it would take is two days a week of sacrifice.
John 10:10b says "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
That's my passion 'more abundantly' now that's prosperity!
So yes I will give someone a fish to alleviate their immediate need, but I will also stick around and teach them to fish. Then as we share together and their life becomes abundant that passion will cause them to go and do likewise.
Don't you just love the ripple effect!!!
I have often asked myself the question. How can we (The Salvation Army) regain our passion for ministry to the poor?
One of the reasons I think we have lost it, is because we have no connection with the needy, and so our desire to help is diminished.
How can we regain it. Usually those involved in raising funds and awareness for Leukemia suffers is family/friends of those suffers, because they have first hand experiences of it. Jim Wallis says 'Proximity to poor people is crucial to our capacity for compassion. Only through proximity do we begin to see, touch, and feel the experience of poverty. When affluent people find genuine friendships among the poor, some revolutionary changes in consciousness can begin to take place'.
William Booths statement of 'Go for souls and go for the worst', means that if you call yourself a 'Salvationist' you will start to build relationships with the needy.
Peter Lindstrom
Nice Limo!
Major Campbell Roberts also suggested 'we all need to have friends who are poor' sometimes hard to do but easy to say!!
Lt. Dave
We are the Salvation Army for a reason, Army's fight an enemy...
We have become good at fighting for our unique culture, our traditions and fighting against change.
Lets renew our passion for the war we were raised up to fight! (first we will need to fight complacency and against our own will to be comfortable!)
Lets fight against injustice, fight poverty, fight for the downtrodden, the enslaved, the hungry, the unloved. Lets fight against the evils of this world that see God's children suffer and die in pain and without the strong, caring hand of Christ at their side! Lets fight the modern-day slavery epidemic of Human Trafficking!!
We were raised up by God for these wars, we have been equipped by the Holy Spirit to confront these evils... Lets get battle-ready and get into formation!
The Salvation Army:fighting the traffik
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