EXPAND TO READ: DEUTERONOMY 24 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 14): This is a powerful verse for me this morning. You tell us not to oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether they are our brothers in Christ or not. I am to treat those less fortunate than me equally and with Your grace, joy, and care. I am not to treat them any differently as the world would have me do at times. I must admit that I have not had this mindset for my entire life, Father. I have had issues at times automatically judging someone who is claiming to be poor/needy based on their outward appearance and demeaner. That is not what You’ve asked me to do, though. It is not my heart that should judge whether or not a person is being truthful. It IS my heart that is to abide in You at all times by treating them the way You want me to treat them, Father. Please forgive me for my occasional lack of compassion, Father. Forgive me for sometimes having a judgmental mindset typically without even speaking to the person. Help me to be better at my walk in Your will for me so that I may be more compassionate and understanding towards others, regardless of their spiritual affiliation, economic status, and/or social status.
PROMISE (verses 14-15): These verses seem to be speaking rather loudly to me today, Father, so I guess You are working intently on me right now. You say that not only are we to not be oppressive to a hired hand, but that we are to also follow through with what You commit on our heart towards them as they are in need. If we do not, then You promise us that they will cry out to You against me and that I will be held guilty of my sin in that moment. I really hope and pray that I do not fall into this promise anymore, Father, as I do want to be more compassionate towards others. Please continue to remind me to soften my heart towards others, Father.
ATTITUDE (verse 14): I know I often struggle with the attitude of compassion, Father. I also struggle with equal treatment of people across various religious beliefs, personalities, etc. I do struggle with loving and caring of everyone equally as You do, regardless of any identity this world may place on them. Help me to be better at truly embracing Your attitude of equality in ALL ways, Father, as my way and the world’s way are vastly different from Yours and are extremely broken. Help me to be better at embracing Your attitude of compassion towards others, so that I no longer hold back when I feel the Holy Spirit pushing me towards someone or something.
COMMAND (verse 16): This is such a strong command to me. In some other scripture, You speak of generational curses in the lineage. In this verse, however, You change things slightly by stating that each person is to be held accountable for their own sins. You are giving a command for Your people to begin to change their mindset and way of thinking to one that holds each other accountable individually instead of generationally. If a single person commits a sin, why would I hold the entire family and generations to come accountable for that one person’s mistakes? Help me to be a good follower of this command, Father. Help me to even follow this command towards my own family, such as my earthly Father.
EXAMPLE (verses 19-21): The examples You give in these verses, although necessary, could probably be summed up in a few words like: “stop being so greedy and selfish.” If You have blessed me with a surplus, then why am I being so greedy and selfish with that surplus? Why wouldn’t I want to share the surplus with others? If my harvest is producing more fruits than I truly need or even expected, then You are wanting me to share those fruits with those in need instead of grasping onto every little piece of those fruits for my own desires. Help me to live even more in this way, Father, so that as my fruits multiply and I receive surplus in various ways that I am truly willing and able to help others with the surplus.
*DAILY NOTE: There is so much depth in today’s quiet time with You, Father, yet there is also much focus on one particular topic/attitude that I obviously am far from perfect at—compassion. You have told me in many different ways in today’s scripture that I need to be far more compassionate than I have been in this life. Compassionate towards my wife, kids, extended family, friends, neighbors, church, work, and even strangers I come across. You tell me that I’m to be compassionate to the point that I am no longer greedy or selfish with the blessings You’ve given me so that I am willing to share all those fruits and blessings with others. Help me to be more compassionate, Father. Continue to remind me that being a compassionate person is my struggle, but that if I continue to lean on You more that it will become a less frequent struggle of mine. Thank You for today’s amazing and focused conversation, Father. I really needed the push and conviction on my heart about my compassion.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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