Devotional meditation

This is a famous chapter from Zechariah in the bible showing God’s heart on the matter in one’s heart over the religious works shown on the outside. It’s expanding from the religious works that should have flow out of reverence and awe with gratefulness for what God has done for the Israelites. However they have forgotten how they were helpless in the first place where God heard their cries and delivered them from the oppression of Egypt, then they turn all the religious works and sacrifices to a ritual to earn blessings from God while oppressing others who are weaker than them.

The central principle of the message today is how God desire mercy and kindness over rigid religious works. It does not mean that religious works don’t matter, but when it comes to people and works, God prefer that we put importance in helping the people with kindness and mercy because we were once in that position as well. It is quite often easy for people to forget the goodness that we once received and then we become puffed up and think that we are better or able but it was always God’s blessing and help to give us the ability. It’s a calling for us to remember His goodness and that glory has always belong to Him, we are precious & beloved to God, so does everyone else.

Let us not forget that God hate the wicked and the curse will always dwell in their house, it is not either or but it’s conditional and packaged in order that we can function and thrive in community. Justice and righteousness not only as standard but when everyone follow that standard then only there’s peace and safety as all treat each other the same that they wanted to be treated. God knows about human frailty and weakness in the inability to perform the perfect standard hence He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross which then enable us to be reconcile with our God, our Father in Heaven.

Does it mean that we are forever living in grace without the needs to be kind and merciful, to abuse His grace? Certainly not, according to Paul. Faith without works, that is the kindness, mercy, love, righteousness, without all these, we are dead. It was how the land of Israel became a desolation, even when they cried to the Lord, God did not listen to them because when the weak cried, they did not listen but kept on focusing on the religious works, wickedness and oppression over others.

So for those who prefer logic explanation or method of being heard, though I myself prefer that it flow out from the heart because of gratefulness and love for God in response to His love, be kind & merciful to the widow, the orphan, the foreigners living in our country, or the poor, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.