Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Embracing the Migrants and Refugees

Bible reading  Psalms 146

Key verse:  10

Vs9  The Lord watches over the sojourners.

DEVOTION

Throughout Scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments, God repeatedly instructs His people on how they are to treat the foreigner, migrant, and stranger among them. In Leviticus 19:34, the Lord commands: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among like  you, and you shall love him as yourself.” This mirrors the command in verse 18 to love one’s neighbor as oneself, showing that God makes no distinction between the native and the outsider. His love extends equally to all. Leviticus also includes practical expressions of compassion—such as leaving the edges of the field for the poor and the foreigner to glean—reminding us that mercy is not merely an emotion but a responsibility lived out in action.
The prophets, including Zechariah and Jeremiah, echo this call, urging God’s people to show justice, kindness, and protection toward the vulnerable.
In the New Testament, Jesus deepens this truth in Matthew 25, teaching that welcoming a stranger is equivalent to welcoming Him. Our hospitality becomes a reflection of our devotion to Christ Himself.
Psalm 146 reminds us that the Lord is the defender of the marginalized—the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, the bowed down, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger. God Himself watches over them and sustains them. As His people, we are called to mirror His heart: to embrace those who are displaced, uprooted, or seeking refuge, and to become instruments of His justice and compassion. To embrace the migrant and refugee is to participate in God’s ongoing work of restoration. It is to see every person as one made in His image, worthy of dignity, belonging, and love. When we open our hearts and homes to the stranger, we reflect the very character of the God who welcomed us first.
 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, You are the defender of the weak and the refuge of the weary. Give us hearts that mirror Your compassion and eyes that see the dignity You have placed in every person. Teach us to wholeheartedly welcome the stranger with generosity and to love the migrant and refugee as You have loved us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY


Welcoming the stranger is not an act of service to God.

 
Vivin Varughese
The Mar Thoma Church Staten island

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