I got this devotional today in my inbox and it just touched me...Always For The Outcast
"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry ..." - Exodus 22:22-23 (NKJV)
In biblical times, the widow and the orphan were the epitome of the social outcast. Unable to perform the manual labor required to feed themselves, they were at a decided disadvantage when it came to something as simple as survival.
There were no insurance policy checks, no IRA or 401K accounts to draw from, and no food stamps. There was just the charity of those who were more fortunate. And as God was laying down His Law for His people, He made His heart very, very clear concerning them. "Take care of them-or else."
God is always for the outcast. They occupy a territory in His heart that is very near and dear to Him. When you look at Christ's earthly ministry, you see that He spent much more time with the "nobodies" than the "somebodies" of His day. Not because He had to, but because He wanted to.
And it cannot be denied that although Jesus possessed the prerogative to take on any appearance when He came to this world, He deliberately chose to assume the identity of someone who wasn't exactly on the world's A-list:He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isaiah 53:2-3 NKJV)
Regardless of where God has placed you on society's scale, never forget that God is always for the outcast.
(Garden Crown - Available Here)
Just lovely Polly:>) SO true, we should remember this always, God wants US to be there for the "outcasts" too.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post and reminder. I love this. We're not here to judge or be judged. We're here to offer a helping hand to people in need. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteLinda
thank you for the reminder. we are here to help the less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post!
ReplyDeleteYou expressed this scripture so beautifully and with such wisdom.
ReplyDeleteIf He is for us who can be against us?
blessings,
Debra
Thank you for this lovely post... So very, very true.
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Thinking of you ~ xoxo
ReplyDeleteHi Polly,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that your sister is doing well and I will pray that her tummy is calmed. This was a lovely post and it fed my spirit today. So many of us feel like outcasts in this economy...searching for jobs, trying to find a place to call home. It is so comforting to remember that God is our advocate, and he is making a way for us even when we feel that there is no way.
Hugs,
Dena
Hi Polly,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. It is always so sad to see when people are judged and considered outcast and forgotten, but oh how important they are to God, to know His love is the most wonderful gift we could ever be given.