오늘의 묵상
"자기 일은 자기가 알아서 해야한다"는 말이 있듯이, 우리는 책임있는 사람들입니다. 하지만, 타인을 돌보아 주고, 혜택받지 못한 사람들을 옹호해주고, 착취당하는 이들이 거하는 곳에 개입하는 것은 의무이기도 하지만 동시에 축복(적어도 하나님 보시기에는)입니다. 무엇보다도, 우리는 우리 "형제 자매들의 지킴이"입니다!
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
"As a man, you've got to learn to take care of Yourself!" My dad's words were worn into my heart as he gave me jobs and taught me responsibility as a teenager. We do have to be responsible for our actions and taking care of ourselves. But, part of being blessed and taking care of ourselves — at least as God sees it — is caring for others, sticking up for the disadvantaged, and intervening when someone else is being exploited. After all, we are our "brothers' and sisters' keepers!" What convicts me most about this passage, however, are the three verbs for me to obey: encourage, defend, and plead. I can't sit on the sideline and hope someone else takes care of the needs!
내 기도
오 하나님, 짓밟히고, 학대받고, 잊혀지고, 파괴된 자들을 돌보지 못하게 하는 이기적인 마음을 제거하여 주시옵소서. 그들을 알아보며 그들을 위해 일할 수 있도록, 당신의 배려의 눈길을 주시고, 예수님의 연민의 마음을 주시옵소서.
My Prayer...
Remove the heart of selfishness, O God, that sometimes keeps me from caring for the oppressed, abused, forgotten, and broken. Give me your eyes of concern and Jesus' heart of compassion to see the oppressed, fatherless, and widowed. O, Holy Spirit, please stir me to action and help me minister to them. In his name, the Lord, Jesus, the compassionate Christ, I pray. Amen.