DECEMBER 28, 2016

“We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” 
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

ZECHARIAH 7-9

8And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’(7:8-10)

REVELATION 19

9Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

10At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

JOURNAL 

To worship God means to obey him. Obeying him means to act in love and care for those who are struggling. Throughout the entire Bible this is the constant command, not only to keep ourselves from indulging in things just for ourselves. But to not do this at the expense of others and to be aware of the suffering of others and to be proactive in serving them. 

This is beautiful and when I act in obedience to God in loving others and serving them, I receive a joy that is better than any possession. This is God's gift to us, this is the joy of the spirit. 

1Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

HEBREWS 13:1-3