Ninety one percent of the world is worse off, and we are not talking here of the poorest of the poor, many of whom cannot be assured of one half decent meal a day, if they are lucky, but those that, at least have some sort of roof over their heads and can get some sort of food every day.
The present situation has been brought about by greed and one-upmanship, and it affects all social classes, not just bankers and company directors. Not everyone is like that you may say. No, there are, of course, exceptions, but they are just that - exceptions.
The Bible is right - "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" - 1 Timothy 6: 10
Nothing wrong with money as a convenient means of doing business - bartering has obvious limitations. No, it is love of money, for its own sake, that is evil; and that in spite of the fact that it would be of no use to you if you were isolated in the desert or lost in the Amazon jungle without modern means of communication.
We accuse billionaires of always wanting more, but many of us would be the same if given half a chance; money can be addictive. Many of those who people envy because of their wealth, have found out that much of what really matters cannot be bought.
Many people would cynically dismiss as sentimental twaddle the old cliché - "The best things in life are free", Nevertheless, if you stop for a moment and think, you will acknowledge that this phrase is true. Love is an obvious one, but what about the air we breathe? What about our ability to appreciate beauty? And, of course we could add to the list.
Christians believe there is an answer to the crisis and to any other crisis. It is not an economic formula; it is not a revolution that kicks out one group of greedy money - grubbers only to bring in another, often worse than the old one. No, it is a person, and his name is Jesus Christ. Simplistic nonsense you say!
Try coming to him in faith and you will see that for your life, at any rate; he is the answer. And he would be for the whole world if they would only listen.
The true church of Jesus Christ that consists, throughout the world, of all those who have come to him individually, in faith, and been born again of the Spirit of God, is the one thing that prevents all hell breaking out.
I don’t mean Christendom as a whole, historically or currently, for it has often been like ugly scaffolding hiding the beauty of the building within and surrounded by mountains of builders rubbish. But all this will be cleared away when Jesus returns and we shall see the church as it really is.
This is what the psalmist, in the inspired Word of God, would say to you in this crisis period -
I was young and I am now old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. - For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithfully ones - Psalm 37: 25, 26 & 28.
Although the church has corporate responsibilities, nevertheless, it must begin with the individual - you!
The apostle Paul states -
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" - Romans 10: 13
Jesus himself gave this promise -
"Whoever comes to me I will never drive away" - John 6: 37
The words ‘everyone’ and "whoever" while they appeal to the whole of mankind, each one must come to him as an individual; you cannot be saved en mass or by proxy. Come to Jesus Christ now, let him forgive your sins, and he will, and then you can join with others, and as Jesus said, be salt and light in the world.
Though we are saved one by one - individually, and we must witness to Jesus Christ by our changed lives and our spoken testimony.. We must also join with others to testify together as a body of people redeemed by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross.
We see this world - wide as believers, individually, in groups together, and in large organisations, seek to eliminate poverty, supply basic needs and provide doctors, nurses, hospitals, medicines etc. Further the need for education is being met by opening schools, providing materials, and eliminating illiteracy.
All this is done not by governments (although many recognise and approve of faith based organisations) but voluntary donations from Christians and by those believers who, at the call of God, give themselves sacrificially to these altruistic and selfless outreaches world-wide. So varied are the needs that are being met that it is not impossible to list them all in this article.
I am sure that there must be exceptions, but I have yet to hear of similar altruistic organisations sponsored by atheistic groups, or hear of militant atheists leaving behind the comforts and facilities of rich nations to bring help and hope to the downtrodden and exploited. If there are any, then they must be a bit thin on the ground.
One would have thought, believing that this short life is the only one there is, it would have been an incentive to give to people the means to enjoy, as far as possible, their 60, 70 or 80 years of life; but sadly their main purpose seems to be to bring about the desperation that is the result of unbelief.
Believe me God is real! And Jesus Christ came, not only to show us the way that we should live, but to give himself on the cross as a ransom for many. On the third day after his death he rose again from the dead and will come again to judge the peoples of the earth and reign forever.
Let these words of Jesus impact your heart
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" - John 11: 25
Come to him now and experience a radical change in your life and be assured of your salvation.
Look for a good evangelical church, there are a number of English speaking churches in the area, look them up on the internet, and, naturally, there are many more Spanish speaking. You will find a warm welcome when you visit them and you will worship in Spirit and in truth and hear the word of God expounded in a way that is relevant to today’s needs.
