Day 18 – The Poor, the Broken, and the Forgotten

Day 18 – The Poor, the Broken, and the Forgotten

Writer: Elise // Divergent Church Canberra City

Key Scripture

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To

act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Focus: Gospel-shaped justice

Reflection

We serve a God of justice. Throughout scripture, God introduces himself as the father of the fatherless, a defender of the widows. Justice for the poor and disadvantaged is a cause close to the Father’s heart, and He rebukes those who neglect to prioritise justice for the vulnerable in society (Isaiah 58, Matthew 23:23).

We also serve a God who personally identifies with the poor and forgotten. No where is

this more clear than in the life and death of Jesus. When the Son of God came into the world, he was born in a feed trough, not a palace. When his parents had him

circumcised, they gave two pigeons as the offering, which was the offering for the

poorest of the poor. As an adult he was essentially homeless, wandering from place to

place. Not only was Jesus poor, but he also experienced political and societal oppression.

His trial was a miscarriage of justice, and the innocent King of Kings was executed as a lowly criminal. The bible tells us that though Christ was rich, for our sake He became poor, so that through his poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Though being in very nature God, Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing, submitting to death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Now, because of his death and resurrection, we have access to every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

So, as followers of Jesus, what does it look like to ‘act justly’?

Psalm 146:7-9 provides us with a good starting point: feeding the hungry, releasing the unjustly imprisoned and enslaved, tending to the sick, helping the burdened (emotionally and physically), watching over the immigrant, and supporting the single parent family. What do all these have in common? They involve the sacrifice of our time, money and resources. Acting justly will cost us something. But when we look to the cross of Jesus Christ, we remember that He poured out His life to save us, despite our brokenness and spiritual poverty.

This sacrifice now motivates us to pour out our lives to love and uphold justice for the poor, the broken and the forgotten.

Today, let us live out Gospel-shaped and motivated justice, surrendering every part of our lives to love others with compassion. We can do this because He first loved us.

Prayer:

Father, open our eyes today to those around us who have been forgotten, who are

materially or spiritually poor, or who have been deemed by the rest of the world as too

broken. Help me to be an agent of your love and mercy, that every area of my life – my

time, finances and resources – would reflect your heart for justice. In Jesus name, Amen.

Personal reflection:

1. What would it look like for me to act justly in my daily life? What needs to change?

2. Is there a particular cause or people group that God has put on my heart? How can I

be more intentional about investing in them?

3. Is there a specific area of my life that I am struggling to surrender to God for His use towards justice (e.g., finances, time)? God, help me to surrender.