It really struck me the other day that each of us in Australia lives in a ‘lucky’ country. What do I mean by this? When you look at our lives in comparison to others around the globe you suddenly realize how blessed we truly are to live in this land called Australia. I was reading some statistics a week or so ago that highlighted this fact in a staggering way. This data told me that…
1. More than 1 billion people around our globe live for less than $1 U.S. per day
2. An estimated 130 million people cannot read and write
3. There is an estimated 218 million kids between 5 and 17 engaged in child labor
4. An estimated 20 million children worldwide have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and human rights violations
5. Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria
6. In sub-Saharan Africa, one in evey six children will die before their fifth birthday
7. Every 5 seconds a child dies from a hunger-related cause. That equates to nearly 16000 children every day
8. Anyone who earns more than $37,000 a year sits in the top 1% of wealthy people around the globe
We are certainly lucky if we live in Australia. We have opportunities and privileges that many others miss out on because they’ve been born into other places around the globe.
We cannot and must not take these opportunities for granted. Ken Duncan (a famous Aussie artist) sums it up well when he said: “We have the resources, but do we have the will? We can no longer sit in self righteousness and blame God for the unethical distribution of his provision.”!
It’s just possible that we have been blessed in Australia to be a blessing to others. Last week we had the privilege of having a number of Karen (a people group from Burma) take part in our morning celebration service. Their story and journey of faith is quite inspirational when you reflect on their lot in life. As this group of people continues to pour out of refugee camps in Thailand and settle in our city, it’s my prayer and hope that we (the people of Bendigo Baptist Church) might truly show them the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s use our resources and gifts to encourage this group of people and be salt and light.
Blessings,
Pastor Dave
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:1-4)
