A Powerful Witness

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court.

When politicians are uncertain in which direction to jump on any given policy, all too often they fall back on that old maxim – when in doubt, back self-interest … not always, but way too often. 

Why self-interest? Because most of us are intensely self-interested. When a new government policy’s announced, the first question we ask is, “What does this mean for me? How will this affect my freedoms, my disposable income, my life?”

Backing self-interest may win elections, but it often leads to bad policies. And the same’s true in our lives. Yes, we’re interested in ourselves – which, to a point, is not unreasonable. You and I need to ensure there’s enough food on our table, a roof over our heads, that our family’s safe, that our children are heading down the right path, and so on. Not at all unreasonable … until that self-interest extends from our needs to our wants. 

I want this, I want that, I want comfort, I want stuff, I want holidays, I want, I want, I want. And that, pretty quickly, crowds out the desperate needs of some of the people around us, does it not? Time for a reality check:

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court.

There are people within our sphere of influence, within yours and mine, who desperately need our help. Sometimes it’s as simple as just doing a bit of good and treating them fairly, even if that cuts across our own self-interest. Other times, it demands that we take a stand.

Don’t let your own self-interest crowd them out.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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