Mandy from Leicestershire has a heart for the poor and needy. For over forty years now—since before the Fairtrade Mark existed—she has sold fair-trade products, first through catalogues, and then in her shop and online. Her “growing awareness of God’s love for the poor and [His] desire for justice” has compelled her to partner with God “in bringing about God’s kingdom on earth”.
God has always been concerned about the poor and needy. Moses, for instance, after sharing the law that God had revealed to him on Mount Sinai with His people, detailed before they entered the Promised Land how they should treat their labourers: “Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy” (Deuteronomy 24:14). And “Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin” (v. 15). As His command reveals, God wove a fair and just way of living into the very foundations of His people’s society.
Of course we may not be able to sell fair-trade goods, but like Mandy we can trust God to show us how to treat others with His love and respect. With His help, we too may be able to say, “I am thankful for how God has led me to make the world a fairer place.”
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
How might God partner with you to build His kingdom here on earth? What global or local communities has He put on your heart recently?
Creator God, You designed Your laws so that we might flourish. Help me to uphold Your will and share Your love with others today.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
How does God provide for us? What if the source of our help comes from someone of another religion or from someone who claims no belief in God? Is their kindness still from God? Think about the children of Israel. Who helped them in their escape from Egypt? Yes, it was God and Moses. But Moses tells us that the Spirit of God prompted the Egyptian neighbours to fill the arms of the Jewish slaves with gold, silver, and clothing for their journey (Ex. 12:35–36).
Looking back on that day of great escape, in Deuteronomy 24 God reminds His people of two things. To help them identify with those in need, He wanted Israel to remember that their ancestors were once impoverished slaves. The second reminder grew out of the first. The Lord reminded His people that just as they had been helped in their escape from bondage, now it was their turn. As God had met their needs through the hands of others, so it was their turn to help others in a way that gives hands and faces to the heart of our provider God.
Mart DeHaan
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