Today's Reading:O.T. - Isaiah 25 - 27
N.T. - James 2:1-26; 3:13-18
Focus Verses: Isaiah 26:3-6
3You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 4Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. 5He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust. 6Feet trample it down—the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor.
Insight:
The judgment Isaiah has been declaring toward the proud and the mighty is also a proclamation of deliverance for those who have been oppressed and trapped in poverty. Those who steadfastly set their minds upon the Lord and trust in his deliverance will not be disappointed. The Lord is a rock and a refuge for those who suffer at the hands of injustice. God will bring down the proud oppressor and lift up the downtrodden.
Response and Action:
I will put my trust in God. I will pray, work, influence, give, and vote for social justice. I will praise God when freedom and opportunity are given to those who are victims of injustice. When I face hardship and difficult circumstances, I will steadfastly look to God for peace and strength.
O God, you have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. O LORD, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. Amen.
Proverbs: 17:5
"He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished."
Resources:
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity
by Ronald J. Sider
