tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539847711352971949.post1857774130802104986..comments2023-04-04T03:56:54.228-04:00Comments on (xaris and shalom): Purpose, Prosperity, and a Pilgrim HeartAnya Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234760629286559941noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539847711352971949.post-42583471388054190492011-06-20T13:42:23.708-04:002011-06-20T13:42:23.708-04:00Since I had just come back from Papua, Indonesia, ...Since I had just come back from Papua, Indonesia, right before this conference, I had a similar clash of imagery in my mind. Children in dirt and filth vs. the poshness and abundance of DC and American life. It's something that can be difficult to reconcile, and then leaves us wondering 'How can we have so much, and others so little?'<br><br>Then it gets to issues of dependence and grace for others. I think, though, that while we have to apply the caring for the widow and the poor (Ja 1:27), we have to remember that it's not the government's job. Government was given responsibility to reward the right and punish the wrong. It's us as individuals who have to look at how much God has blessed us. From there, we must realize that it is all God's, and be willing to give some/all of it back to Him through service to others.<br><br>Sometimes it's material goods, but sometimes it could come out of the seeming affluence of an AEI-like conference. Christian service and love can come from our giving up of time, labor, and talents to help others--not just our own possessions.James Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390237536603074123noreply@blogger.com