Reflection of the Day

The Holy Spirit within stirred me greatly as I sought the Lord today in my quiet time. I was greatly perturbed on the issue of hunger and starvation. As such, I decided to search the internet for some statistics on hunger and starvation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 925 million people will suffer from chronic hunger this year worldwide, with a child dying every 6 seconds because of undernourishment related problems. I quote FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf: "this is absolutely unacceptable."

I hear what the Holy Spirit is telling me. As Christians, we cannot be aware of this matter and let it slide. As believers in Christ, we have the responsibility to chip in our part in righting the wrongs of this world, to fight for social justice for ours is a God of justice and righteousness, mercy and grace, love and compassion. To say that we are Christians and followers of Jesus and turn a blind eye to the needs of the world is incongruent.

As we follow after Jesus, God's love for people will touch us, and we will grow in being concerned for that which He is concerned for, loving that which He loves and those whom He loves, which is all people. There is that vital need to be moved by the great needs of the world around us, not just spiritual, but also physical. No one is going to be thinking about God and sin and the need for repentance when he's starving daily and slowly dying of hunger.

The Holy Spirit has stirred within me a great dissatisfaction with regard to the world's hungry and the great inequality between the rich and the poor. It is often said that 20% of the world's population consumes 80% of the world's resources. Likely, I am part of that 20% and I find that to be absolutely unacceptable. The love of Christ within compels me and woe is me if I do not make some effort to change this.

If I have heard the Lord speak but do not obey, I only harden my heart and become less able to hear Him in future. If I hear but only speak about it and nothing else, I make myself to be a hypocrite and my heart is hardened. As James says in chapter 2 verse 17, "faith without works is dead" (paraphrased).

I am not sure what actions I will take yet, but at the very least, a regular donation through World Vision is what I am most likely to do.