The Journey 172: In Some Fights It Is The Loser Who Is the Ultimate Winner
Read; Amos 5:1-24
Anyone heard of Manny Pacquiao?. I presume that only a handful may know Pacquiao. He comes from Sarangani in Philippines and he was the person who fought with Timothy Bradley, who became the winner at the WBO welterweight title on Saturday, June 9, 2012, in Las Vegas. Though Timothy Bradley was out boxed and out powered by Manny Pacquiao, yet he was awarded the title on a split decision by the judges which shocked the boxing world. It was a verdict that disgusted many of the experts who came to watch the boxing fight. But for Manny Pacquiao he did not loose heart. On the contrary he became a champion in a different arena. While holidaying in California after the boxing fight, he came to know that flash floods had destroyed his home town in Philippines. Pacquiao immediately responded to this crisis by donating the money he made from the boxing bout with Bradley a few weeks back, to help people rebuild their homes. The boxer also cut short his Californian vacation with his family, and arrived in Philippines with the help of about 20 vehicles which carried rice and other essential items for the victims. He says the decision to spend the finances on the people of the country was a part of his responsibility as a public servant. Here is an individual who is ready to share his riches and glory for the sake of the less fortunate. Community becomes transformed when there are people like Pacquiao who puts the interest of the community above their selfish interest. But what about the nation of Israel?
This week we are meditating on the theme “Transformation in our community” based on the book of Amos. Today our meditation is from Amos 5. Here you find again, Amos detesting the life style of the rich and the famous in Israel. They are guilty of trampling on the needs of the poor and then taxing the poor so that through that tax they could build palatial houses [ Amos 5: 11]. They also deliberately close their eyes to the needs of the poor and then they tend to ruin the life of even righteous people by taking bribes. Thus the sins of the people of Israel is countless and hence the prophet tell them to “ seek the Lord and live” [ Amos 5: 6]. It is in such a context that Amos also speaks to us. We live today where everyone wants to make riches at the cost of his neighbours needs. We are not concerned today whether our action will be beneficial to others or will it cause harm to others. We tend to close our eyes on the needs of our community and we tend to build a world where we are concerned only on our needs and our needs alone. Jesus taught us that we should always seek the will of the Father in heaven rather than seeking and doing our selfish will and ambition. What is needed in the world of today is people like Pacquiao who is not concerned whether by sharing his riches he is going to be poor on the contrary it is by sharing oneself to the needs of the community that we become rich. We are people called by God to become agents of transformation in our community, so let us rise above our selfish interest and goals so that we commit to the building of the kingdom of God.
Anyone heard of Manny Pacquiao?. I presume that only a handful may know Pacquiao. He comes from Sarangani in Philippines and he was the person who fought with Timothy Bradley, who became the winner at the WBO welterweight title on Saturday, June 9, 2012, in Las Vegas. Though Timothy Bradley was out boxed and out powered by Manny Pacquiao, yet he was awarded the title on a split decision by the judges which shocked the boxing world. It was a verdict that disgusted many of the experts who came to watch the boxing fight. But for Manny Pacquiao he did not loose heart. On the contrary he became a champion in a different arena. While holidaying in California after the boxing fight, he came to know that flash floods had destroyed his home town in Philippines. Pacquiao immediately responded to this crisis by donating the money he made from the boxing bout with Bradley a few weeks back, to help people rebuild their homes. The boxer also cut short his Californian vacation with his family, and arrived in Philippines with the help of about 20 vehicles which carried rice and other essential items for the victims. He says the decision to spend the finances on the people of the country was a part of his responsibility as a public servant. Here is an individual who is ready to share his riches and glory for the sake of the less fortunate. Community becomes transformed when there are people like Pacquiao who puts the interest of the community above their selfish interest. But what about the nation of Israel?
This week we are meditating on the theme “Transformation in our community” based on the book of Amos. Today our meditation is from Amos 5. Here you find again, Amos detesting the life style of the rich and the famous in Israel. They are guilty of trampling on the needs of the poor and then taxing the poor so that through that tax they could build palatial houses [ Amos 5: 11]. They also deliberately close their eyes to the needs of the poor and then they tend to ruin the life of even righteous people by taking bribes. Thus the sins of the people of Israel is countless and hence the prophet tell them to “ seek the Lord and live” [ Amos 5: 6]. It is in such a context that Amos also speaks to us. We live today where everyone wants to make riches at the cost of his neighbours needs. We are not concerned today whether our action will be beneficial to others or will it cause harm to others. We tend to close our eyes on the needs of our community and we tend to build a world where we are concerned only on our needs and our needs alone. Jesus taught us that we should always seek the will of the Father in heaven rather than seeking and doing our selfish will and ambition. What is needed in the world of today is people like Pacquiao who is not concerned whether by sharing his riches he is going to be poor on the contrary it is by sharing oneself to the needs of the community that we become rich. We are people called by God to become agents of transformation in our community, so let us rise above our selfish interest and goals so that we commit to the building of the kingdom of God.