Selfindulgement

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 you have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter (James 5:1-5).

The rich 25% of the world enjoy their lifestyle at the expense of the poor. Their life of wasteful affluence and arrogant selfindulgement can only be sustained by structurally underpaying the global poor. Surely many servants of Mammon fatten themselves up for slaughter at the day of judgement. May the One who knows our deepest thoughts and aspirations, intentions and motivations judge us to be different.

Being witnesses

Our lifestyle, attitude and action are the most important aspect of being witnesses. That is why it says in Acts 1:8 that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be my witnesses.....It does not say "you will be witnessing".

The Holy Spirit empowers and transforms us so we bear the fruit of the Spirit, that is the character of Christ becoming visible as we are changed from glory to glory from the inside out. It is not anything we can achieve for it is His work in us which we receive by grace and not because of our own efforts. Therefore no-one can boast. All we can do is to receive it with gratitude as we continue to trust Him. Therefore it is Gods work in us that speaks of His greatness and glory. In response to this wonderful work of God one cannot but speak about His greatness, not as a duty but simply out of a heart full of awe, gratitude and love for Him.