Refine Search

A Real Problem

JOSEPH lives in Southeast Asia. His only shelter from the heavy rains is a bridge. Here he sleeps on a dirty straw mat. A rusty can serves as a drinking cup. Since the age of 10, when he ran away from his guardian, Joseph has been stealing to keep himself alive. His returns from theft for one year amounted to $60 (U.S.). That is more than the annual per capita income of most persons living in his country of nearly 140,000,000.

Such poverty is not limited to just a few of earth’s inhabitants but is the daily lot of half the world’s population. The annual per capita income in more than 30 countries, with sizable populations, is less than $200. It is believed that “800 million people survive on so little that their biological functions are handicapped.”​—To the Point International.

Even in lands where yearly incomes are much higher, millions find themselves among the hungry poor. This includes persons who are in serious financial straits because of gambling, alcohol abuse and the like. Furthermore, by resorting to such things, the poor worsen their already hard lot. Consider these examples:

A middle-aged man from a rural area in Rhodesia goes to Salisbury to sell his chickens. After receiving a good price for them, he decides to increase his funds by gambling. He wins twice, more than doubling his money. Although he thinks of going home, the gambling urge just will not let him do so. This time he loses. But he does not quit gambling until he has no more money. Then he puts his jacket into the game and loses it also. After unsuccessful efforts to obtain help from the police, he returns home empty-handed.

Then there is the case of an intelligent, handsome young man with a promising future. After receiving his doctor’s degree in medicine from Liverpool University in England, he is ready to start his career. During World War I he receives the “Military Cross” for bravery. But he also becomes addicted to alcohol. His drinking finally costs him his career in medicine. He turns to drinking methylated spirits and becomes seriously ill. Finally, he dies as a pauper, with no one to mourn the loss of him.

In the Netherlands, Wilfred teaches elementary school. Faced with tension at home and stress at work, this young man turns to drugs for an escape. Each year he spends thousands of dollars to support his habit. Because of his addiction, he lives like a beggar, sometimes sleeping on the streets. He is also terrified that his addiction will be discovered and reported to the authorities. Finally he does lose his job.

A middle-aged carpenter in Ghana owns his own house and employs many men in his workshop. But he is not content with his lot in life. In an effort to amass greater wealth, he pays a large sum for a dove that is supposedly able to multiply money miraculously. But his hopes are dashed to pieces when the bird flies away, never to return. To make up his loss, the carpenter hires a magician to conjure up a large sum of money that could be deposited in a bank before it would vanish. The magician receives his pay. But before getting to a bank, the carpenter is dismayed when he discovers that all he has in his possession are pieces of paper, not money. Later, because he repeatedly refuses to appear in court to account for his failure to pay income tax, a warrant is issued for his arrest. Frightened, the carpenter flees, leaving behind his house, family and workshop.

These are not mere stories. They are tragic realities. Is there really a source that provides sound guidelines and needed motivation to prevent such sad consequences? Yes, it consists of a collection of writings that have been translated, at least in part, into more than 1,600 languages. The most recent portion of this collection was completed nearly 1,900 years ago. In the 20th century, hundreds of millions of copies of the complete work have been printed and distributed earth wide. This remarkable book is the Bible. We invite you to examine with us how your following the lofty principles contained in the Bible can indeed help to put bread on your table.