Heart for the poor: The Elections are over, as Christians what next?
Micah 6:8. And what does the Lord require of you but to; act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.
There will always be winners and losers when changes happen, one’s perspective will depend on their situation. A worker, a business owner a pensioner will have very different world views.
What does this mean for us and local government to Act Justly?
• Given that we all benefit from local amenities like parks, pools and town centres, how much are we prepared to pay for such things with our rates?
• How much of our rates should be charged according to our property values, or by fixed charges?
• How much should council invest in things like social housing and support for community groups?
What does this mean for us as citizens in our communities to Love mercy?
• Does it mean that local government should help the poor and vulnerable?
• Could it mean we accept that elected representatives and council officers make mistakes and would value a little grace and encouragement to have another go?
How do we Walk humbly with our Lord?
• Could this mean endeavouring to hear other’s positions before proposing our own?
• How much are we prepared to concede to make our community, city function better?
• How much time could we take out time to pray for those we voted into governance roles?
• What can we learn from the way Jesus dealt with people and authorities?
Prayer: Father God, we have elected individuals into roles that will impact our communities. We seek your guidance as we help them to help us. Inspire us in ways that we can make our communities places that enable all to do the things they have reason to value. Help us to follow your son Jesus’ call to see that the needy and vulnerable are cared for. Amen.
Richard Barter
