Jesus calls us to help those in need.
(Listen to my song “All Are One” on YouTube by clicking HERE)
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Psalm 119:37
Avert my eyes from what is worthless; by your way give me life.
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Instead of averting our eyes from what is worthless…I’m thinking many times we avert our eyes from what is of worth.
Our eyes…or our attention…can many times get obsessively focused on “what’s in it for me.”
Our consumer culture is constantly telling us we need to buy something else to be whole and happy.
Let’s face it; compared with most of the world…we are living in the lap of luxury. Not everyone, I know, but compared to most of the world…we are rich.
Many around the world are starving and persecuted.
If I adhere to what Jesus commanded us to do as Christians…then I must love God and my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:37-39). My neighbor, of course, is everyone.
And I also must treat others as I would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).
To do this…I must focus my eyes and attention on injustices. And then I must do something about it.
In Jesus’ famous parable about the final judgment, he makes it clear that whatever we do to the marginalized and powerless…we do to him.
There are many seeking asylum at the U-S/Mexican border who are fleeing violence and poverty. They’ve traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles out of desperation at great personal risk. They are in need of help.
These families do not need to be separated and caged. This is not a compassionate response.
Yes, laws are important…but Jesus consistently sided with compassion over the law.
He did it with the woman caught in adultery and in his parable of the Prodigal Son. He did it whenever he healed someone on the Sabbath and when he allowed his hungry disciples to pick the grains in the field to eat on the Sabbath.
The rule was broken in favor of compassion.
We must figure a way to be both a country of laws and a country of compassion at the same time. Why can’t we do this?
No one is calling for “open borders.” We need protection from those who would do us harm. But what is needed is compassionate and fair treatment of those in need.
And there is also a desperate need for the reform of immigration laws so that people actually have a reasonable opportunity to migrate legally without the process taking 20 years like it does now!
We are all one family in God’s eyes.
God sees Jesus in everyone. We are called to do the same.
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Listen to the song of the day “All Are One” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.
Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.
Remember…God loves you!
Hey, Bill I’ve learned a huge lesson in my deepest self over the last few months: many of us have to suffer intimately with the suffering of the world in order to feel the stirrings of genuine compassion. God bless you and your continuing mission to help wake us up. Your brother in the Lord, Dennis.
Great wisdom, Dennis, about suffering. Blessings to you, brother Dennis