From the book (referenced below) that I am currently reading:Governments of the world are spending $1.2 TRILLION on their militaries. If you are like me and you cannot grasp that number - think of it this way: That is 1,200 BILLION. (Not that I can grasp a billion...but it's a closer reach than whatever a trillion is.)
The U.S. accounts for almost HALF - 1/2! - that amount...which means we spend MORE than the next 46....46!...countries combined. (Are we really feeling that much safer than the rest of the world....per dollar spent?)
Wealthy nations spend $104 billion on global humanitarian aid to assist the world's poor. That is 1/12 (think of it like a pizza...pretty small slice) of what is spent on militaries and defense.
It is estimated that only $65 billion per year would be enough to lift the one billion people who live on LESS THAN $1.00 A DAY out of their extreme poverty. In percentages? It would mean diverting ONLY 5% of global military spending toward helping those struggling to survive in our world.
Hmmm...this might seem like a no-brainer - BUT - I am sure you can do the simple "math" of greed.
I work for a church. Our main goal is (or should be) to advance the kingdom of Christ...whatever the cost may be - right? Well, economic hard times have made it necessary for church leadership to make changes. One of those changes was to cut staff salaries by a mere 5%. (This also meant that virtually no one actually LOST their job.)
People in that staff meeting were in TEARS. Are we so greedy that we cannot sacrifice 5% for something we believe in....heart and soul? Can we not celebrate the 95%?
My personal prayer is that I will hold loosely to that which is temporary and focus on the eternal and on making a loving difference in the lives of those I am blessed to know here on earth. The root of all evil is not MONEY....it is the LOVE of money. How sad that something so meaningless can consume people and make them miss out on their opportunities to make the world a better place.
