Habakkuk 3:17-18. NKJV
Things may get bad for you at times - very bad. However, in comparison to the above scripture, have things ever been this bad? The majority of us, have a home or at least somewhere to lay our heads. We have finance from a job or social care, medical costs paid for within the UK, clothes, shoes, food, family and often, someone to love or have love us.
When we compare this with many other countries, we are very well off. Many of these countries are starving, have nowhere to live and are riddled with some type of disease, and yet, those who belong to Jesus Christ, have faith and a devotion to Him, that would make ours look shallow in comparison. Many are poor and live in mud huts or even on the streets, have no clean water, sanitation or nice new clothes to wear and some have to sell their bodies to provide the very basic of things - things that we, in the west take for granted every day.
Governments hoard their money and get richer, while their people die by the thousands. What is the reason for this? Is it God's fault? Not at all. The reason is at the top; governmental leaders who make sure that they are ok; that they have more than enough while their people perish and are subjected to dictatorship and death.
And yet, the ones who are Christians; the ones who have put their trust in Jesus have a deep love and devotion to Him. They are grateful for all they have- which is very little. They have learnt that Jesus is their Lord; their provider and against all the odds, for some, certain death for being believers in Jesus, they rejoice in their Lord and Master.
They may have very little by way of material possession, but they have Jesus and they devour the bible; they praise and rejoice in Him all through the day, even though it may cost them their lives for doing so.
One only has to look at the devastating horror that the Jewish people had to endure under the Nazis during WW2. They were slaughtered for their Jewish faith. Hitler thought he could end the reign of the Jew but he underestimated the strength of Jesus Christ. They live on and at the end of the day, Hitler and his associates will have to give an account for the atrocities that they caused. And so will today's world leaders for the way they have not taken care of their people.
Nevertheless, the people worship Jesus, yes, they would probably love to have what we even throwaway, but they are content in their faith and grateful for the little that they have.
It should make us in the western world feel very humble. Just think what you have but yet grumble and complain about because someone has better. Think about all you take for granted and just for one moment, spare a thought for the people who are not rich, the people who are dying because there is no medication or food, the one who is sleeping rough tonight because they have nothing. When you've done this, realise how grateful to God you need to be.
'Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count you blessings see what God hath done,
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.'
Johnson Atman Jr
Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard
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