I am frequently reminded of the self-created bubble that I often find my life absorbed in. This happened a few days ago when I came across a site that shows what the world demographics would be if it were shrunk to a village of 100 people.
If the world’s population was reduced to a village of precisely 100 people it would consist of…
+60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific
+67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian
+50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
+33 would be without access to a safe water supply
+67 would be unable to read
+1 would have a college education
+5 would control 32% of the entire world’s wealth; all 5 would be US citizens
+33 would be receiving –and attempting to live on– only 3% of the income of “the village”
Here is the point. Most in the world do not look like me, live a life of affluence as I do, nor enjoy the relative comfort I continually enjoy. Most in the world have not benefited from opportunities I have been able to benefit from.. Finally, most will never be stewards of a fraction of the resources that have already been entrusted to me.
So the question that I must continually consider, and I assume you as well, is whether or not I am effectively connecting God’s undeserved blessing in my life with His all-glorious mission?
May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Psalm 67
-Britten
