Are we wasting God given Resources?

Hard Fact: One-third or 33 percent of the food in the world is wasted.

When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food - including water, land, energy, labor and capital - go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

What a tragedy that while 10% of world goes hungry, the world wastes 33% of food. This essentially means that 90% of the world has 123% of what they need, to be nourished. This to my mind is one of the most inhuman and most unchristian like behavior, fueled by greed and covetousness. and contradicting the 10th commandment.

Everyone knows the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Yet I will urge you to read it again. Matthew Verse 20 says -

"They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over".

What was left over was not wasted.

What we learn is that God provides bountifully, and we cannot and should not waste what He has provided. 

Gods' blessings and provisions should be honored and shared.

The Touch: Our Daily Reflection

What is divine strength? we believe it is a God given power to overcome personal and professional challenges.

Gen 49:24 says "But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)"

Every character, from Adam to the apostles received divine strength. As did then, even now, challenges are a part of everyday life we all face, no matter who we are.
How do we get divine strength to overcome our challenges. Reading the quoted passage closely, you will see that award of divine strength is a very personal act. It is Gods power passing to man through a personal touch. 

Being that it is such a personal touch, it follows that we need a personal relationship, one that is strong and open enough to enable us to "ask". Ask and it shall be given is a familiar passage, but to be able to ask one needs to know Him personally, and to do that we need to overcome pride and relinquish our will to His. We need to get to know Him better through His word and we need to get rid of anything that hinders that relationship.

This Ash Wednesday we get another chance to do exactly that, kicking off the 40 days of lent when we can examine our lives and get rid of any hindrances in our relationship with our God.

The Long Forgotten Concept of "Respect"

There are so many points of conflict in the world today. Between people, nations, continents, races, gender, age and so on. You name it and it is there. 

Is it conflict what God created us for? 

We have to learn that people of other faiths, color, gender etc., are not only created by, but also sustained by, God the Creator. The Biblical understanding of God as creator should lead to understand that all people, their cultures and spiritualities are within the sphere of God's love.

Respect for people includes respecting who they are and acting out that respect. It is part of the commandment to love your neighbor.

Why Is Respect so Important in the Christian Community?

In the Bible we learn that it is firstly God who respects man: 

"Since you are precious and honored (respected) in my sight, and because I love you" (Isiaah 43:4) 

If man thus opens to God, he always receives his reverence, because respect is the permanent state of God.

In return, Reverence for God. Honor for others is what we learn from Him and are taught to practice. Respect for all life as created by and belonging to God. These are not only marks of a believer, but they set a goal for Christians to demonstrate faith and love of God. 

Paul says in Romans 12:10 - "Outdo yourselves in honoring (respecting) one another".

Respecting others demonstrates the value God places on life. Respecting others demonstrates the character of God in His humility, sacrificial love, and redemptive plan. Respecting others creates a community that is marked by harmony, service, and care for even the most vulnerable.

At the end of the day, we respect others out of our reverence for our God and this contributes powerfully to the testimony and legacy we create.