poverty and justice: part 1

----As a Christ-follower how should I think about and act on issues like poverty and hunger?

I want to establish what I am not saying right away.  I’m not saying that Christians do not work in the world against evils like poverty and hunger.  They do, and the things they do have brought about changes and saved lives.  This I like and I recognize the work that they have done.  What I am trying to understand is what still needs to be accomplished, because last time I checked Jesus still has not returned and I am called to bring about His kingdom on earth. 

What evils are still prevalent and what injustices still need addressing?  I want to know what I am supposed to do and what things Christians should become aware of and begin to act on rather than staying in a spiritually stagnant status quo.

I started reading Ron Sider’s "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" and it is radicalizing my mind already after having read the first chapter.

In the first chapter he cites statistic after statistic showing that poverty and hunger are two of the greatest problems in the world today.

Because of the issues of hunger and malnutrition, thousands of children are dying from starvation and disease.  Many children become brain damaged because they do not get enough protein for their brains to develop properly.

The statistics on children are particularly challenging for me because I have been and continue to be concerned for children and the unborn.  If I am going to be consistent in my care for the little ones in our world I need to seek the welfare of the starving ones as well as for the unborn.

----How can I help?  These problems seem so big and I know that I am small.  But, the God I serve is greater than any of the tragedies in this world.  I trust that if I am willing to learn and see these problems for what they are, God can show me what He would have me to do.  I am excited to continue reading this book and see how I can apply it to my life now, and in the days to come.

 

---When I throw away wasted food, what am I really doing?  If I say that it is wasteful and I should eat it because a child in Africa would love to eat it, it doesn’t seem to have much of an impact because I cannot mail him my leftover spaghetti.  But, if I look at it as I could have made less food, saved money, and then sent that child in Africa five dollars so he could eat for a month, now I can smell change and the stench of moldy food begins to fade.