The Talk Place

I have a dear friend in America whom I met when he was working in Australia as a Missionary. Not only is he a talented musician, but also a deep thinker and a man of God. He regularly ponders on different aspects of life and asks a series of questions to his friends in an effort to come to a conclusion.

He has been grieved over the rate of people in the world who starve to death every day. He asks the question " Over 13,000 people starved yesterday. I can't come up with any reason why you & I would not be doing all we can to reach the starving. What makes it "okay" for me to spend time & money on comparatively trivial matters?" I pondered his question for a while, feeling his pain and concern over the seeming injustice of the situation, and I came to a few conclusions.

Firstly, God is Sovereign. It is God who chooses where we are born, who we are born too, and where we will live. We do not choose to live in a country of affluence just as others don't choose to be born into starvation in a 3rd world nation ravaged by war, disease and famine. We are to be content with what God has given us and maintain an attitude of thankfulness.

Secondly, we can make an impact on poverty by supporting Christian Mission Organisations that are involved in this kind of work; we can lobby government to raise overseas aid, and we can pray! Those things are valuable and achievable for each and every one of us.

The third thing is the most important though, and one which is often overlooked. Our primary calling as Christians is to preach the gospel to all mankind. Feeding people is secondary to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’" John 7:37-39. We can give a starving person a meal and they will still ultimately die of starvation. If we give them the words of life, the rivers of living water, then upon earthly death, they will have eternity. Sharing the salvation message is always to be our first priority and calling.

This is a message that GRN understand well. GRN is a Mission Organisation dedicated to sharing the word of God with those who have no access to the written Scriptures; cannot read, or choose not too. GRN feeds the starving the only message they need to hear; one of a gracious God who died on the cross in their place. It is that message only that will truly feed a man and nourish him.

My friend who asked the question understands that fully as well. Afterall, he has dedicated his life to spreading the gospel and still has a heart soft and tuned into God enough that he would feel sadness and pain for those living in squallid conditions. It is a wonderful thing that a Christian of so many years would be humble enough to ask questions that demand hard answers.