This post is part of the series His Encouragement
Other posts in this series:
Welcome! Welcome, dearest friends, to His Encouragement: Biblical Inspiration for Your Thursday. Every week, I join a few blogging friends to bring you a Bible passage and a little hope-filled discussion. We pray that these devotionals help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you.
Today’s scripture
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9, NLT
When I stop and take a hard look around, I see injustice at every level of society and in every place in the world.
Perhaps it is a hardworking co-worker being passed over when recognition is being handed out.
Maybe it is a group of kids bullying another child or adults who merciless ridicule and shame others.
It’s the homeless person living in his car because, even though he has a job, he doesn’t make enough to afford even the worst studio apartment in the bad neighborhood of town.
Perhaps it is the mom of two who is fighting to keep two part-time jobs while taking night classes at the community college because she had the courage to leave her abusive husband but had no higher education or employment history to fall back on.
Maybe it is the senior citizen who experienced an unexpected tragedy and was forced to use a significant part of their retirement savings early and is now struggling with the monthly bills and credit card payments.
It’s the people who are too quickly judged on their appearances, their clothes, their mannerisms, their speech patterns and not given a fair chance.
Definitely it’s the rich and powerful who manage to buy their way out of responsibility for their greed.
And certainly it’s the arrogant and manipulative who treat other people as tools to be used and discarded without any decency or respect.
But my God is different
I see such suffering and injustice, and I am reminded that my God is different.
He loves with a love far greater than any of us can truly fathom. My God feels the pain of our sorrows more deeply than even we do. He does not force Himself on the unwilling so while He longs for this hurting, broken world to turn to Him for help and healing, He respects our choices.
He also expects those who take on His name to be reflections of His character. In Proverbs 31, His followers are commanded to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”
Are we?
Am I different, too?
Are we fighting against injustice? Are we speaking for those with no voice? Are we helping the helpless? Are we seeking justice for those in need? Are we aiding the poor?
Or are we paying lip-service while ignoring the plight of our fellow men, women, and children? Are we justifying in our own mind our ungodly prejudices against “others”? Are we so focused on what makes us comfortable and happy that we are turning a blind eye to the suffering of those outside our little bubble? Are we willfully ignoring our responsibility to fight for justice?
Jesus gave us a very solemn warning in Matthew 7:21. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”
Am I breaking God’s heart by calling myself His child and not acting like it?
I can do better.
Can you?
Am I breaking God's heart by calling myself His child and not acting like it? I can do better… Share on XWhat verse has touched your heart this week? Share in the comments below!
Be sure to also visit my fellow bloggers and read their encouragement for your Thursday as well:
- Trisha of Joy of Reading
- Nicole of The Christian Fiction Girl
- Jessica of A Baker’s Perspective
- Becca of The Becca Files
- Gina of Stories by Gina
- Rev. Rebecca Writes
- Andi of Radiant Light
- Leslie of Words of Hope
- Claudia of By Claudia Moser
- Keneesha of Women Loving God’s Way
Hi there, blogger. Would you like to join us in sharing encouragement from the Word of God every Thursday? Don’t be shy! Contact Trisha or Nicole today!
Featured photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash.
Continue reading this series:
Delivered from all my fears (His Encouragement)
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This is certainly relevant for society today. A lot to think about and consider, for sure. Thanks for sharing.
It has definitely gotten me thinking. God bless!
What’s so frustrating is that it feels like there is nothing I can do. There are little things, of course. Yes, I need to do better too. But the BIG things feel so out of control I don’t know what to do. Pray, I guess, is really the only thing I can do.
I feel the same sometimes, but then I remind myself that, even though the big things are out of my control, I can still do little things. The Lord knows the beginning from the end, and He allows us to be His ambassadors in our everyday life. Maybe He isn’t calling us to do the big things, or at least not on our own. Maybe He is calling us to raise our children, help that church member, become friends with our neighbor down the street, pray with our coworker who just lost a loved one, give the homeless person a bottle of water and the card to the local charity, smile at the cashier having a bad day…
You have brought tears to my eyes, yes we do all need to speak out, and do something.
Absolutely. May you find a way to do something, too! No act is too small. God bless you!
Love this <3 thanks so much for sharing!