liadanslyre

got this from here...

i know it's long but please read it.

today's chewable vitamin

"It follows that in order to do justice in the struggle against AIDS, churches must stand against poverty. This is in keeping with God's will; never in the Bible are God's children given permission to be complacent about poverty. In Deuteronomy 15 we are told that there will never even be poor among us if we fully obey God's commands. The fact that some are poor is proof of our fallen state. Though we are fallen, we are not allowed to give up: God still tells us to give generously and be openhanded toward our brothers and sisters.

In Christ, God gives us a model life of generosity and relationship with the poor. Often misconstrued are Christ's words to Judas: "The poor you will always have with you." Jesus was not making a statement of fatalistic apathy, but quoting God's condemnation from Deuteronomy that allowing our brothers and sisters in Christ to be poor is a key indicator of our disobedience to the Father. In Luke Jesus begins his public ministry by quoting from Isaiah 61 that he has come to "preach good news to the poor."

This good news should come from today's body of Christ in two words: debt relief. Consider Zambia, which currently pays 30 percent more in debt repayments than on health. And Zambia's is not the only similarly burdened budget. Debt relief will enable AIDS-afflicted nations to more completely address the crisis within their borders by spending more on prevention/education and treatment. Behavior modification strategies are marginally successful and are only part of a comprehensive strategy — a strategy that must have aggressive debt relief as a central pillar. "
~ jerad morey (taken from this paper)