“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” - James 2:15-18

The claim to have faith is a call to action. In primary school I remember learning that a verb is a ‘doing word’. It describes an action, something that is carried out and put into practice. Faith is also a ‘doing word’. It is not an abstract thing that we can claim to have. If faith does not manifest itself in how we live our lives it is not real. James says that ‘faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’. The example he uses is a person who claims to have faith and says the right words, “keep warm and well fed,” but fails to demonstrate any practical action to back up his words.

Claiming to have ‘true faith’ but failing to show it by actions is a lie. We are deceiving ourselves. When Jeremiah described a godly king who was blessed as he defended the cause of the poor he finishes the verse with the words, “Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.’(Jeremiah 22:16). Paul reminds Timothy of God’s call to act: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Reflection: Does my claim to faith ring true? In what ways is God calling me to express my faith in a world where so many live in poverty?

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” - Acts 2:44-45

In sermons on the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost, I have not heard much emphasis on the fact that God’s Spirit at work in people’s lives meant that they gladly shared what they had so that no one was in need. The common practice in the early church was to take up offerings for the poor. The focus was usually on giving to those in need in other places due to a famine. Paul travelled to Jerusalem ‘in the service of the Lord’s people’ because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor and those in need in Jerusalem. (Romans 15:25, 26) When Paul was commissioned to take the Gospel to the Gentiles he asked the elders in Jerusalem what he should expect of those who came to faith. All they asked him to do was to ‘continue to remember the poor,’ the very thing he had been eager to do all along. (Galatians 2:10) In Acts 10:4 prayer and gifts for the poor are mentioned equally as ‘memorial offerings before God.’

Reflection: What is the connection between the Gospel and serving the world’s poor? How much do I reflect this in my giving? How much does our church budget reflect this connection?

 “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” - Matthew 19:21

I grew up on a farm where we had all the necessities of life and equity in property that had grown over time. As a young Christian in my teens I was encouraged to read the scriptures and found Jesus words challenging. Like Jesus loving response to the rich young ruler who asked, “What must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus said, “One thing you lack,” …. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21) Or Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees in Luke 11:41, when he said, “be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.” Jesus used these words to challenge those whose heart was set on their wealth and the things of this world rather than the Kingdom of God. As a husband and father with a wife and three young children I used to wrestle with the challenge of these words. Should I sell my home and give it to the poor?

As a pastor involved in building programs requiring raising large sums of money I would wrestle with the amount of money raised for buildings compared to the energy devoted to raising funds for people in poverty.

Reflection: How much do I need to be challenged by Jesus’ words and let my actions show that God is indeed the focus of my worship?

“The poorest of the poor will find pasture and the needy will lie down in safety.” - Isaiah 14:30

Our modern communication technology means we see in real time the plight of those who have lost everything. It may have been a devastating cyclone, tsunami or the result of the ravages of war. I find it hard to erase from my mind the images of a mother weeping for her dead son or people overwhelmed with grief at the loss of their home, livelihood and family. God hears and sees these cries in ‘real time.’ He has acted in history to ‘restore all things in Christ.’ His focus is on all “things in heaven and on earth” (Eph 2:11). He has begun this work of restoration through the community of faith.

At the moment, we only experience in part God’s vision for those who suffer but we know the day will come when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this
down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:4-5) God created a world that was good and had abundant provision for all the creatures he placed in it especially, human kind. In Christ and through God’s people God is at work ‘restoring all things’ so that all people live in communities of justice and peace.

Reflection: How am I participating in bringing about God’s vision for the world and ‘His will being done on earth as it is in heaven’?

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise, ” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” - Psalms 12:5

While on a visit to Cambodia, Kay Warren, wife of world renowned pastor Rick Warren, visited a street outside the city limits of Phnom Penh called Svey Pak. It is very famous and known as "the Street of the Little Flowers." She expected to find the beauty and innocence of children playing in beautiful gardens. The reality shocked her. As she walked a narrow dirty street she was confronted with children as young as seven years old being sold to men who sat swilling beers and smoking under the shade of the trees that lined the street. The reality of what was happening caused her to make a decision to do whatever she could to ‘stop the injustice’ of what was happening.

In their poverty, parents often face the impossible choice of selling their children or watching them starve. Moral indignation is one thing. To address one of the causes of such injustice is a far bigger challenge. Through the prophet Amos, God says “I hate your songs, I despise your religious festivals; I cannot stand your assemblies…, I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:21, 23-24) In Proverbs 31:9 it says, “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Reflection: If God is concerned about injustice, what does that mean for me as I seek to live as a follower of Jesus in a hurting world?

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.  Praise the Lord.” - Psalms 113:7-9

Compassion fatigue is a significant problem in our multimedia society where the plight of the poor and their needs are constantly before us with many requests for our support.  Scripture says that people’s hearts grow cold because of sin.  Sin can be defined as self-focus, putting ourselves at the centre of our world and failing to let the reign of God and his kingdom shape our lives and actions. Job was a man of great wealth and yet he was able to say in the face of his accusers, “Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?” Job 30:25  Sin had not hardened his heart in the midst of God’s blessing.

Take time to reflect on the many blessings you have living in a country like Australia and ask yourself if your heart has begun to grow cold towards people in need. As you daily see the needs of the poor, reflect on how God feels and acts on their behalf and listen to your own heart and what God is saying to you.

Reflection: How much does your heart reflect God’s heart for the poor? Has the deceptiveness of riches begun to ‘harden your heart ’?

“Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.” - Proverbs 21:13

I couldn’t hold back the tears. I was in the Philippines and had just spent a mere 20 minutes with the child my wife and I have been sponsoring for several years. I barely had time to connect meaningfully with Monique (not her real name). She was shy and quiet and said little other than ‘thank you’ in broken English. Her mother spoke through an interpreter and told me how Monique’s sister had died of a heart condition at the age of six and her father was unable to be with her or support his family because he suffered from epilepsy.

In Australia, which is the world’s third most affluent country, Monique’s sister would be alive and her father would have had medication that enabled him to support his family. What is God saying? As I reflected on Monique’s needs, her family’s situation and the lack of resources in her community, it became clear that God’s heart is for all families to be helped and all areas of life addressed in a community, not just one child’s needs or at best one family’s needs. The tears were as much about the many thousands who are not helped, as they were about not being able to connect meaningfully with one child who was receiving help.

Reflection: What is God’s ‘still small voice’ saying through people and situations of poverty you have encountered?

‘Listen to what the Lord says; Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say.......To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’  - Micah 6:1-8 
 
And I join in the hope that ... people might say this about our Nation:

-that we had remembered the words of Micah and renewed our search for humility, mercy and justice

- that we had torn down the barriers that separated those of different race and region and religion and where there had been mistrust, built unity, with a respect for diversity

- that we had ensured respect for the law and equal treatment under the law for the weak and the powerful, for the rich and the poor.

(from the inaugural speech of Jimmy Carter, 39th US President)

What a powerful statement to commence a Presidency! The sad reality is that many would find it hard to apply those words to the US. But let’s ponder Micah’s words. Micah links justice to the concept of goodness, a concept we have explored this week in looking at the creation account - God saw each thing that was made “and it was good”. Doing justice, loving mercy, walking humbly are not said to be good – that is what is good!

And the call of Micah is for us to live such a life. As we have looked at how we live and how much we buy, we can also ensure that products we consume are “fair trade” products – where producers have not been exploited and have received a living wage not a poverty level wage or no wage at all. Micah reminds us of our responsibility to live for God in all areas of our life to ensure all can experience “..justice rolling on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24)

Reflection: During the last seven days, I have been challenged by Your word as to how I should be living. It is hard to live this way at times Lord but I ask that You will provide all that I need to live a life of humility, mercy and justice ensuring that I play my part in sharing Your heart for the world

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth......God saw all that he made and it was very good...’  - Genesis 1 

What we're hearing is the people who are going to be most affected by climate change are the poor. As Christians, part of our role as stewards of the environment is how we care for the poor. Galen Carey, advocacy and policy director for World Relief 

Global warming, climate change – words which have become the catch cry of the last decade. For some it has become the mantra by which they seek to live, for others a continual annoyance they are being held responsible for the world’s problems. Regardless of how we feel about this issue, rising temperatures around the world are leading to increasing incidents of famine, hurricanes and disease outbreaks in developing countries that are ill equipped to handle such disasters.

Robert T Watson, chief scientist for the World Bank has said "Climate change is indeed....a moral, ethical and developmental issue, rather than a simple environmental issue". As we reflect on this statement, we need to make an active response. The Genesis account of creation provided mankind with God’s expectation of our role – to be a caretaker. As with any aspect of our commitment to discipleship, we must take that responsibility seriously and how we live must reflect our concern for God’s world and His children by ensuring that what we consume is done with a global mindset. Newton’s law of physics was every action has an equal but opposite reaction – may we be conscious of our action and so be aware of the reaction it causes elsewhere as we seek to live our life of 
discipleship.

Reflection: Father, I have been selfish in my lifestyle and remained ignorant of the impact my decisions have had on others in the world. Help me to live more responsibly and to care for Your world and Your children.

‘... Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions ...’

Luke 12:13-21

A spirituality that has both integrity and impact in a consumerist culture must be one of engagement ... aspirituality that presses ever more deeply into all the places of everyday life in search of God’s presence and purpose.  - Simon Holt

 When my wife and I first married, we did what many couples may do and went grocery shopping.... together! Was that our first mistake or simply a lesson we needed to learn? Both of us came from conservative Christian backgrounds but we had diametrically opposite views on how we spent our money - my family shopped for bargains regardless of how far we had to travel, my wife’s family shopped for quality regardless of the price. It was a day about consumerism, a day that created some “creative” discussions!!

Consumerism is part of our world but when it involves over-exploitation, greed and selfishness it needs to be stopped. The verses we read today tell of one man’s wealth and material possessions and his desire to preserve his future materially but ultimately it meant nothing! Living in our culture, we can be drawn into this trap and busily store up our riches forgetting the One we serve and the responsibility we have as disciples to live for Him. We need to balance the motives driving our purchases against what we believe God desires of us to fulfil His purposes. In doing this, we will seek to preserve our integrity and impact in the consumerist world in which we live. 
 
Reflection: When I think about some of my purchases Lord, I realise that I have been like the rich fool – concerned about the here and now rather than a desire to follow the path set by Jesus. May my desire at all times be that of a disciple, preserving my integrity and maximising my impact in this consumerist culture.  

‘... Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded ... The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty ...’  - James 5:1-6

If a man's religion does not affect his use of money, that man's religion is vain.  - Hugh Martin

 We live in a world where lifestyles of the rich confront us in the media and the message received is often interpreted as “more is best”. Ross Gittins, an economics writer for the Sydney Morning Herald, said: “We get an initial surge of pleasure from a pay rise or winning a raffle but it never lasts long ... yesterday’s luxuries become today’s necessities.”

However, even the wealthy in our world (Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey) have become more prominent in their philanthropy. Whilst, from our perspective it appears to be a drop in the bucket compared to their wealth, there is a move to become more proactive in our response to the poor.

So how does this passage apply to the life of being a disciple? We may not be as rich as some in our world but let us think about our daily lives for a moment – electricity, running water, clean water, healthy sanitation, communication tools, fresh and readily available food, healthcare and services. Do we not count as some of the elite in the world with these services – after all, more than 1 billion people still won’t have access to clean drinking water today.

The challenge for us is to ensure that as God has blessed us so we must share the blessings we have received with others. It is not a choice – it is mandatory if we are going to be active in living a life of faith for Jesus.

Reflection: Thank you for all the blessings you have given me Father. Forgive me for being selfish and hoarding my wealth. Continue to convict me of my responsibility to share what I have with others who do not.

‘....For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me....”  - Matthew 25:31-46

The death of one person is a tragedy. The death of thousands is a statistic. - Josef Stalin

As I write these notes, the autumn season has dawned – a time of great beauty as leaves change colour, transformed from their traditional shades of green into a myriad of warm colour tones of red, orange and yellow. But as the leaves change, we are reminded that soon they will be dead, slowly decomposing but never again to hold life. We were reminded by James yesterday, that our faith and deeds must work together, they are not mutually exclusive. It is great to be a person of faith but if our faith is not put into action, it is as dead as the fallen autumn leaves. Jesus confronts us with the reality of putting our faith into action in Matthew 25.

Sometimes, the need is so great that we let it pass over us - as Stalin says, merely a statistic. But what if our child died because of disease caused by living in poverty? Then it becomes a tragedy. We cannot sit idly by and hope the problem goes away because it is not our world – each statistic, placed in the realm of our reality, becomes a tragedy and requires action. What is the action you will take today?

Reflection: Father, move me from my place of complacency and indifference about poverty and give me strength to challenge injustice and to do what I can to ensure a fairer and just world for all.

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?... faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  - James 2:14-17

The poor come to all of us in many forms. Let us be sure that we never turn our backs on them, wherever we may find them. For when we turn our backs on the poor, we turn them on Jesus Christ.  - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

US President Franklin D Roosevelt was once reported as becoming tired of smiling and saying the usual things at White House receptions. One evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with extended hand, he smiled and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." 

People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely!" or "Just continue with your great work!" Nobody listened to what he was saying, except one foreign diplomat. When the president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, "I'm sure she had it coming to her."

James emphasises the drastic need of those who are poor. The standard Hebrew farewell "Go, I wish you well..." is similar to our culture’s “How are you?". Often the words are said but how often do we really want to know how anyone is and stop to listen to their answer? 

James indicates that it is of no value to have a passing concern for the welfare and care of the poor. For a disciple’s faith to be real, it will involve action -responding to the needs that confront us with compassion and love as if from the heart of God. 

Reflection: Forgive me for my lack of concern for the poor, for looking but not seeing. I commit myself to taking action today to meet some of the needs I see in the world.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.....But the man who looks intently into the perfect law.... he will be blessed in what he does”  - James 1:22-25

If you don't live it, you don't believe it. (Paul Harvey)

When I was training to be a pastor, I learnt all about the craft of sermon preparation and presentation. Strong foundations were built as I studied under some great preachers. But one thing I wasn’t taught (or maybe I was and didn’t think it would apply to my preaching!) was that 15 minutes after hearing a sermon, most has been forgotten by the majority of people!

Is that how we live our life of discipleship? In the verses today, James uses the image of people looking into a mirror, fixing their hair, squeezing the odd pimple, freshening makeup – we are exposed to the truth about our appearance and we do something about it! What is our response when we read God’s word and are confronted with the mandate to do something about the needs of the poor? Do we respond to the truth we see or quickly turn away, trying to forget the truth that has been revealed? The Greek word used in verse 25 for “looks intently” means “penetrating absorption”, the same word used in John 20:5 as John stooped and peered into the tomb of Jesus, allowing the truth of what he saw to penetrate his very being. 

How should we act as disciples in relation to the needs of our world? May we have the same attitude as Mark Twain: "Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand. The Scripture which troubles me most is the Scripture I do understand."

Reflection: As I read and reflect on your Word this week Lord, may I be confronted by the passages I understand and be open to act upon the challenges I receive. 

In the world’s poorer countries up to 80% of the population live in rural areas. Rural households usually have small farms on which they grow subsistence crops (ie food they eat) and cash crops (ie food they sell). Cash crops such as coffee, tea, and cocoa are often sold for export to richer countries. 

Developing world farmers face a number of challenges:

• The world price for commodities fluctuates up and down. It is not uncommon for prices to fall way below the cost of production, in which case already poor farmers make a loss. The cost of planting new crops and the need to plan well ahead (trees can take some years before they reach seed-bearing stages) means farmers cannot simply change from one crop to another as world prices rise and fall. 

• Farmers often lack access to credit services. Income from crops comes in only after harvest, but living expenses occur daily. Without the means to pay for food, healthcare or equipment farmers can be forced to sell their crop very early and at a very low price.  

• Farmers often lack access to information about the market. Few have internet services, producer journals, or advisory bodies. Yet without knowledge of world prices and trends a farmer has no way of knowing if the middleman buying his crop is offering a fair price. 

• Farmers often lack essential infrastructure and services. Without education, health, storage facilities for the crops, equipment, etc it is difficult for farmers to get maximum value from their land and crops. 

The Fairtrade Solution 

Fairtrade is a system in which farmers and those who want to buy their produce agree to trade in a way that everyone gets a reasonable return on their investment. In this system: 

• Buyers deal directly with producer groups (usually a farmer cooperative). This cuts out middlemen who dilute prices and allows mutual, transparent, long term relationships between buyer and seller. 
 
• Buyers agree to pay a ‘fair’ price. This has two components:  
 
1. Buyers agree they will never pay farmers less than what it cost to produce the crop. The Fairtrade governing body sets a minimum price that covers the costs of production and the buyer may never pay less than this amount. When the world price falls below this level the Fairtrade minimum must still be paid. When the world price rises above this level buyers must pay at least the world price. 

2. Buyers agree to pay an additional sum, the Fairtrade premium, that is used to invest in the community. That can mean things such as schools and health clinics, training in nutrition or business skills, and purchase of essential equipment. 
 
• Buyers agree to provide credit to farmers. Once a contract has been signed the farmer has the right to ask for up to 60% of the contract value in affordable credit. This allows farmers to buy food and equipment, pay for medical care, etc while their crops are growing. 
 
• Buyers work with cooperatives to help build knowledge of markets and fair market prices and to develop new skills and technologies that increase productivity. 
 
• Farmers agree to maintain safe workplaces, to avoid child and forced labour, to pay labourers a living wage, and to farm in environmentally sustainable ways. 

"But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."  The Lord answered, "I will be with you.”  - Judges 6:15-16

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." - Keller, Helen American author and lecturer (1880–1968)

"Tell me the weight of a snowflake," a coal-mouse asked a wild dove. "Nothing more than nothing," was the answer. "In that case, I must tell you a marvellous story," the coal-mouse said. "I sat on the branch of a fir-tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow-not heavily, not in a raging blizzard-no, just like a dream, without a sound and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the 3,741,953rd dropped onto the branch, nothing more than nothing, as you say-the branch broke off." Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away.
The dove, since Noah's time an authority on the matter, thought about the story for awhile, and finally said to herself, "Perhaps there is only one person's voice lacking for …[justice] to come to the world."
Kurt Kauter, New Fables - Thus Spoke The Caribou

Perhaps it is my voice that is lacking for justice to come to the world. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. Like Gideon, I will do my part and leave the results to God.

Reflection: God of Power, help me not to doubt the significance of the smallest action or advocacy to make a difference in the world through your limitless power. Amen.

“Hate evil and love good, and establish justice.”  - Amos 5:15

When Drissa was a teenager, he decided to leave his village in Mali to look for work…. he was pleased to be offered what sounded like a good job on a cocoa plantation. Drissa agreed on the payment and work arrangements and then went with the employment recruiter to begin his new job. Drissa’s new job suddenly turned into a nightmare. He became a slave.

Drissa and 17 other boys and young men on the cocoa plantation were forced to spend long days tending the cocoa plants and collecting the pods. The slaveholder gave them little to eat… Weak from hunger, they staggered under large sacks of cocoa pods. If they slowed in their work, they were beaten... Drissa was trapped... One evening, before being locked in, Drissa attempted to escape, but the slaveholder caught him and savagely beat him. …Drissa and the other slaves on that farm were eventually rescued by an official of the Malian government. …Drissa’s story helped tell the world about slavery in the chocolate we eat.  (Source: Free the Slaves)

Every time we purchase something, we reveal a little more of our values and desires and priorities. So let us make our purchases count. Every time we buy Fair Trade products from our local supermarket, our money is directed to the producers who act ethically and we send a message to the slaveholders that they will not be rewarded. We have the power as consumers to speak out, establish justice and make a difference in our world.

Reflection: Guiding God, amidst the multitude of choices and decisions that I face today, help me to hate evil, love good and establish justice through the way I purchase. Amen

“I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy;  I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.” - Job 29:15-17

My church, along with many churches, is very good at mercy ministries. Whether that is locally or globally, they are practiced at meeting the needs of those in these verses and more; the blind, the lame, the needy and the refugee. But where mercy aims to meet people’s needs, justice addresses the situations that have caused those needs in the first place: the refugee, fleeing a brutal and oppressive regime; the needy, in debt to the local money lender charging extortionate interest rates and fearful of becoming enslaved to him; and, the lame, denied access to corrective physiotherapy by an uncaring official. While we certainly ought to extend mercy to the blind, the lame, the needy and the refugee, we also need to do what we can to rectify the unjust systems of oppression that first put or continue to hold people captive to the deplorable situations they find themselves in. A justice response as well as a mercy response. Verse 17 encourages us to confront evil and thereby render it ineffective (“break the fangs”), as well as rescuing the victims of injustice. We can do that through speaking up on behalf of those victims, as well as speaking out against the injustices and evils that devour them.

Reflection: God of mercy and justice, would you protect the victims and disempower those who harm them, even through my words. Amen.  

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."  - Proverbs 31:8-9

This passage is advice given to King Lemuel by his mother. It was part of his job description to make sure the poor got a fair go and that they would have an advocate who would plead their case. So part of the responsibility of privilege is to advocate for the poor and marginalised.

We, in Australia, are in the top 5% of the world’s income, we have the freedom of democracy and the luxury of being articulate verbally and in writing. What an awesome opportunity for us then, to use those advantages to advance the plight of the poor and dispossessed.
If each of the world’s 22 richest nations gave just 0.7% GNI in aid by 2015, as well as addressing crippling debt, unfair trade, corruption and climate change; then we really could make poverty history. Our current Federal Government has pledged to reach 0.5% by 2015. That still falls short of the promise we made in 1970 and again in 2000, to reach 0.7% by 2015.

One way we can speak is to write to or visit our local Federal MP and urge them to make good on this promise. The results from a commitment to 0.7% in the least developed world in education, health, child mortality and so on will be astounding!
 
Reflection: God of fairness, may we who have so much influence, privilege and advantage, please use that to advance the plight of the poor. We thank you for the resources of our own nation and the developed nations and we recognise that you have blessed us to be a blessing. Amen.

“Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; be fair to the needy and the helpless. Rescue them from the power of the wicked.”  - Psalm 82:3-4

When a person is being treated unfairly they want someone to take their side. Someone to advocate for them. Someone to protect and defend their rights.

Fundamental to the character of God is justice. God, who has created all people in his image, recognises that people have rights such as the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom and the right to honest dealing in buying and selling. God puts those rights in laws in His Word. One aspect of righteousness concerns our relationships with others; fostering fair and peaceful relationships with others. The word we often use to describe this is justice. Protecting or defending rights is an integral part of this.
How can we do this? By pointing out occasions where peoples’ rights are being trampled on and calling them for what they are: unfair and unjust. This is advocacy.

Reflection: Righteous God, I thank you that you are just and fair. Help me today in my ordinary living of each moment to embrace your justice and fairness. May I be willing to defend those who are being treated unfairly, even when that is costly. Amen.