Some Alarming Statistics for you…
- America controls nearly 20% of the world’s wealth
- One billion people in the world do not have access to clean water, while the average American uses four hundred to six hundred liters of water a day.
- Every seven seconds, somewhere in the world a child under the age of five dies of hunger, while Americans throw away 14 percent of the food we purchase.
- Nearly one billion people in the world live on less than one American dollar a day.
- 40% of people in the world lack basic sanitation while 49 million diapers are used and thrown away in America every day.
- 1.6 billion people in the world have no electricity.
- Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half the world does on all goods.
Like I said yesterday, when many people see this it can quickly lead to guilt. Guilt is not helpful. Honesty is helpful, awareness is helpful, guilt isn’t.
Empires naturally accumulate wealth and resources. This means we are in a dangerous situation in America because in Deuteronomy, Moses says when “your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God.”
I believe this to be true in America today. I honestly think the most richest, safest, most comfortable people are the hardest people to reach for Christ.
(Full Reference) Deut 8:12-14 “12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Entitlement sets in and this leads to immunity towards the suffering of others. An example of this that you may have heard before – “I got what I deserve, so they did as well.” Whereas the proper view is that everything is a GIFT from God.
Empires accumulate (the state and danger in America) and accumulation can give birth to entitlement.
When you give unconditionally, you will be reminded of the God who gives unconditionally.
When you extend grace to others in need, you are reminded of the grace extended to you.
