A few years back at Christmastime, I spent a day with Kit Danley, the president of Neighborhood Ministries (www.neighborhoodministries.org) in urban Phoenix. During our time together, she challenged me to read through the Bible and find all of the Scriptures related to justice and God's heart for the poor and oppressed. The timing was perfect, as our Orchard Hill congregation was about to begin the challenge of reading through the Bible in a year. I armed myself with a pink highlighter and began this assignment in an unmarked NIV one year Bible.
I am often engaged in many books at a time, so this assignment actually ended up taking me 1 year and 9 months to walk through the Bible this way. I am so thankful that I took this challenge, as it better opened my ears to what God had to say, opened my eyes to reality, and opened my heart to what God cares deeply about in our world. God's concern for the poor and oppressed is a theme woven throughout Scripture. And He speaks to the rich and powerful as well, challenging them to not let wealth lead them astray but to keep God and God's will central in their lives. God's heart is for justice and righteousness to prevail upon the earth. This means wholeness and goodness and joy for each person that He tenderly loves. Next time you read through the Bible, you might consider the challenge of searching God's Word on matters of compassion and justice!
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