At work with God – Day 10

₁₆Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.

₁₉“When you gather your crops and fail to bring in some of the corn that you have cut, do not go back for it; it is to be left for the foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. ₂₀When you have picked your olives once, do not go back and get those that are left; they are for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. ₂₁When you have gathered your grapes once, do not go back over the vines a second time; the grapes that are left are for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. ₂₂Never forget that you were slaves in Egypt; that is why I have given you this command.

₃₄Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. ₃₅I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, ₃₆naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.’

₃₇“The righteous will then answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? ₃₈When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? ₃₉When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ ₄₀The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for me!’

₂₇What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

₁₇When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the LORD, and the LORD will pay you back.

₁₃If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard.

₁₆This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for our brothers and sisters! ₁₇Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God.