The city of Nineveh is incredibly affluent it was the jewel in the crown of the Assyrian flourishing empire.  Strong, fortified and crammed with wealth the envy of all those around.  Yet when God mentions its wealth he recalls that it is not without its victims.  God could see the injustice of wealth gained at the expense and of others, he could see the gathering of wealth was not a victimless endeavour.  

This is not a problem that has went away in the 21^st Century often the convenience of life is at the expense of another.  In fact, if we are willing to look at ourselves honestly, we can probably see traces of this thinking in all of us.  There are many ways in which we can participate in this pattern of our gain their loss with out even realising it.  How often in the work place do we make ourselves seem better by putting down someone else? How often do we check out the real cost of labour on our chocolate, tea and coffee?  Are we really doing all we can to eradicate child labour by checking out the ethical sourcing of our clothes.   Are we enjoying our world at the expense of  future generations?  Personal gain at the expense of someone else was not ignored by God.

I don’t know about you but some of those questions made me uncomfortable.  So, when I look at my own life and read the words about Nineveh that their wealth was not without victims it makes me squirm in my seat a little more than I want to admit to you.  Maybe today is the day to start thinking about the cause and effect of our own lives one bar of chocolate at a time!