The Commandments teach us that:
We cannot kill!
We cannot steal.
We cannot covet another’s goods.
Satan seeks to kill, steal and destroy God’s imprint in mankind. We cannot allow him to use us as his hands and feet. By our treatment of others we show God’s love for His creation.
Deuteronomy 24:14–15
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.
God created all of humanity, male and female, in His image. He loved the world and in His agape love, when Adam fell, He gave up His only begotten Son to die in our place that through Him we could once again be in right standing with Him. The Father sees Jesus Christ in us and His righteousness not ours. We are sealed in Holy Spirit or we would be without guidance or hope in this fallen world. When we mistreat and oppress others we mistreat God. Carla
Proverbs 21:2
The rich and the poor have this in common,
The Lord is the maker of them all.
This sentence eloquently repeats the theme of riches God makes both the rich and the poor. This means that those who favor the rich over the poor (James 2) have not only missed the point of creation, they have insulted the Creator (14:31) The NKJV Study Bible
All people are equally created by God, regardless of wealth or status. Other proverbs cite this as a reason to avoid oppressing the impoverished (14:31; 17:5). Faithlife Study Bible
Job 31:13
“If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant
When they complained against me,
Job 31:14
What then shall I do when God rises up?
When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
Job 31:15
Did not He who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
Proverbs 29:13
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
Proverbs 14:31
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Regardless of where you live, we’ve all had our share of extreme weather events these past few months.
And this we know, storms upend days. And lives.
And most storms, in our life and world, are not even weather related, though the effect feels the same. Times when relationships unravel. Health deteriorates. Beliefs crumble. Hope evaporates.
And this much is undeniable: sometime in our life, every single one of us needs a storm-home. A place for sanctuary. A place for restoration. A place for healing.
Can we stop and embrace this gift? The gift of the power of presence.
Yes, the healing gift of “storm homes.” A place where we need no restrictor plate in our soul.
Storms, mental and emotional, take a toll. And you never know when reaching out makes a difference. A kind gesture or word. A gentle tone. Or just, being there.
And I love the skill set necessary for being a “storm home” (safe place) for someone having a “difficult day”.
Gratefully, at some time, we come face to face with the reality that no one of us is on this human, or faith journey, alone.
Life is fragile and therefore, we are connected.
This week we will remember that it is in our DNA to be, and to need, storm homes.
To offer storm homes to others.
To ask for a storm home when we struggle.
And we hope for places where healing can begin.
“For spiritually alive people, for people of deep and genuine faith, we don’t want to surrender to despair and cynicism, reactivity and fragmentation. We want to be healed and empowered, so we can participate in healing and empowering other people.” Thank you, Brian McLaren. “Sabbath Moments”
James 1:22 (ESV) "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
God's Word is meant to move us to action. Why? Because those words on the page are "living and active" themselves! Scripture is also "piercing" and "discerning" (Hebrews 4:12).
James 1:25 explains more about how to obey God's Word: A doer is "one who looks into the perfect law ... and perseveres." The word for "looks into" in Greek is parakypas. It's more than just reading and studying; it's gazing intently at Scripture to become acquainted with it in ways that change our faith and how we think and live. This intentional looking in moves us to live out what we've heard and learned.
Even passages that may not be direct commands or instructions from the Lord always contain truths we can apply to our lives. For instance, the book of Psalms gives us examples of prayer we can imitate, and Revelation gives us prophetic glimpses of heaven that motivate our faith on earth. Verses like Romans 10:14-16 also encourage us to apply the Word by sharing it with others.
As I grew older, I learned about the Trinity (one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit), which opened my eyes to the true identity of the Holy Spirit. He is a living Person with a mind, will, and emotions! The more I studied Scripture, the more God opened my eyes to the true gift of the Spirit in my life.
By faith in Jesus, we are adopted as beloved children of God, and we receive the gift of His Holy Spirit. God seals us with the very same Spirit who resurrected Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:11). His very presence and power indwells and empowers us ...and that's how we can "be doers of the word" (James 1:22)! First5
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