Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Be merciful as God is
Deuteronomy 24:14-21
Deuteronomy 24:14-21
“Remember
that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there.”
God has given us guidelines for our dealings with the marginalized people. It
is because of His grace that we are alive and are able to conduct our
activities of daily living. He wants us to extend the grace and mercy we have
received from Him to others, especially the poor and destitute. Whatever
we do to the least of them we do unto Him. We should not take advantage or
exploit those working under our supervision. They should be treated with
dignity as our fellow human beings and should not be abused. If we hire
people, they deserve fair wages in due time. It is ruthless to defraud
them of their earnings, which they are dependent on to meet their needs.
The Israelites showed generosity to the poor by leaving part of their harvest
for them. As they followed this tradition, Ruth was able to take care of
herself and Naomi. When we are kind and try to uplift the downtrodden, we honor
God. We have to be openhanded, tithing our income to reach out, rescue,
and redeem people from the struggles they face. He wants us to remember
our past - how He has helped us in our desperate times. While fleeing from
Egypt, there was a point when the Israelites faced the Red Sea ahead of them
and the Egyptian army behind them. Neither swimming across the Red Sea
nor fighting with the Egyptians was an option for them. God parted the Red Sea
for the Israelites to pass through, but when the brutal Egyptian army followed,
the water drowned the oppressors. God wanted the Israelites to remember
that they were aliens enslaved in a foreign land and that they were liberated
by Him. He wanted them to treat aliens living in their land with
dignity. We too must treat new immigrants courteously and help them
out. Today many of us are enslaved to alcohol, drugs, pornography,
etc... When we go to the foot of the Cross in repentance, we will also be
freed from our slavery to substances and our weaknesses. Rather than looking
down at people struggling with these vices, we must try to help them overcome
their weaknesses.
We are all sinners and the wages of sin is death. Jesus, in His grace and
mercy, paved the way for our salvation by dying on that rugged cross.
Unless we repent and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we will not have
salvation. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel to others living in
darkness and bring them to Christ, so that they too can have salvation.
PRAYER
Gracious Lord, open our eyes to see the plight of others, enable us to be openhanded towards those in need. Amen.
Gracious Lord, open our eyes to see the plight of others, enable us to be openhanded towards those in need. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Do unto others as you want others to do unto you
Do unto others as you want others to do unto you
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church