Reading
from the Bible:
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou
shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither thou shalt gather the
gleanings of thy harvest. 10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither
shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the
poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God. 11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal
falsely, neither lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by my name
falsely, neither thou shalt profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 13 Thou
shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired
shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 14 Thou shalt not curse
the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I
am the Lord. 15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement: thou shalt not
respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in
righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor. LEVITICUS 19:9-15
SUMMARY :
When snowstorms bury the grazing lands, ranchers
must feed their herds by hand. As hay is tossed from wagons and trucks, the
strongest animals bull their way to the front. Timid or sickly animals get
little or no feed unless the rancher intervenes.
Working in refugee camps and food pantries report a similar pattern. When
they open their stores to those in need, the weak and timid may not make it to
the front of the line. Like the ranchers, these human lifelines must take steps
to ensure that their services reach the feeble, weary and sick at the edge of
society’s attention.
They are carrying out a principle set forth by God long ago. In
Leviticus 19, Moses instructed Israel’s farmers and vintners to leave portions
of their crops so the poor and stranger could have something to eat (vv. 9-10).
We too can serve as caretakers to the weak and weary. Whether we are
teachers coaxing quiet students to open up, workers coming alongside a
struggling co-worker, prisoners looking out for new arrivals, or parents
showing attention to their children, we have ways to honor God by helping
others.
As we seek to serve those in need, may the grace of God that reached us
in our need move us to reach out to others in theirs.---Randy Kilgore
Father, open my eyes to those struggling to
have
Enough food, enough love,
enough hope; then open my
heart to find ways to help
them receive love, using my
hands in service to them---and
through them, to you.
By serving others, we serve God.
