Dr Jonathan Sacks, a prominent Jewish leader in Britain, when speaking to a group of government, religious and community leaders about declining societal values stated:
“Imagine that you have total power, and you decide to share it with nine other people. How much do you have left? One tenth of what you began with. Imagine you have a sum of money, and you decide to share it with nine other people. How much do you have left? One tenth of what you began with. Now suppose you have a certain amount of love or friendship or influence or ideals and you decide to share those with nine other people, and you do share them, do you have more or less than you began with? You probably have ten times as much.”
“It follows immediately from this little exercise in arithmetic that power and wealth will always generate conflict. The more of them I have, the less of them you have, and the more I give you, the less I have.”
At the root of all conflict, oppression and man-made suffering is the pursuit of three things—money, status and power. Money, status and power are never easily shared, and they are in very limited supply. If the driving ambition of people is to obtain any or all of these three things, then it will only result in dissatisfaction, insatiable appetite and escalating conflict. But as Sacks points out, there is an alternative to the pathway that leads to conflict, and that is the pathway of love.
Unconditional love is the currency of God’s Kingdom. It is the ultimate ‘renewable resource’. The more we give, the more is available to us. Love doesn’t depend on what material resources you have at your disposal, or what status you have in this world, or what ethnic group you come from; all have an equal capacity to love. From the poorest of the poor living in a slum, to the richest of the rich – all have the same reservoir of love to draw upon. From God’s perspective, all people are truly equal and have equal access to the resources required to make a huge difference in this world.
Jesus came to give us hope—hope that we can change the world for the better by loving others into His Kingdom—providing an alternative to the fear, hate, selfishness and violence that are so prevalent in our world today.
As we look into a New Year I want to thank you for your partnership in sharing a message of hope with the young people of the world.
If you can, please give a Year End gift. Thank you.
May your 2013 be a year full of hope, purpose and blessing.
Sincerely,
