Category: Mindful Bible Reads

How should a Widow be treated?
Widows are to be treated with honour and compassion and offered protection so that no one takes advantage of them. God has a plan for widows; we see it in Proverb 15:25. God would tear down the house of the wicked, self-righteous, and overconfident, but he would keep watch and defend the helpless widow. And not only the widow but the fatherless children as well.

In Ruth’s 1st chapter, we see Ruth’s love and care for her mother-in-law.
The opening of the Book of Ruth begins with sorrow. When a famine devastated Bethlehem, Naomi and her husband sojourned in Moab, and their two sons took Moabite wives named Ruth and Orpah. But after a decade, the women were left alone in the world when their husbands passed away.

Naomi, hearing about the Lord’s faithfulness to his people in the land of Judah, decided to return there. Both Ruth and Orpah insisted on going with her, but she told them to return to their own mothers instead. Hearing this, Orpah kissed Naomi and left, but Ruth “clung to her,” refusing to leave her side.

The story of Ruth teaches us that hardships are opportunities to turn to God in faith. God can take a hopeless situation and turn it into something glorious.

According to 1 Timothy 5:3-8, give proper recognition to those widows who are truly in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to practice their religion by caring for their own family and thus repay their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is genuinely in need and is left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give these instructions to the people so that no one may be held accountable. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

God honours widows and treats them with compassion; believers should do the same: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17).

What does God say about relationships with others?
Love is the foundation of all relationships, and that love should be characterised by selflessness, kindness, and forgiveness. The Bible commands us to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

Deuteronomy 5:16-21, says
You must honour your father and your mother. The Lord, your God, has commanded you to do this. If you follow this command, you will live a long time, and everything will go well for you in the land that the Lord, your God, gives you. You must not murder anyone. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about other people. You must not want another man’s wife. You must not want his house, his fields, his male servants, his female servants, his cattle, and donkeys. You must not take anything that belongs to another person.

Proverbs 3:27-35, teaches us
Do everything you can for those in need. If your neighbour needs something you have, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow.” Give it to him immediately. Don’t make plans to harm your neighbour who lives nearby and trusts you. Don’t take people to court without good reason, especially when they have done nothing to harm you. Don’t envy those who are violent. Never choose to be like them. Such crooked people are disgusting to the Lord. But he is a friend to those who are good and honest. The people curse a wicked family, but he blesses the homes of those who live righteously. He will humiliate those who make fun of others, but he is kind to those who are humble. The way the wise live will bring honour, but the way fools live will bring them shame.

Matthew 18:15-17 describes
If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this when you are alone with them. If they listen to you, then you have helped them to be your brother or sister again. But if they refuse to listen to you, then tell the church. And if they refuse to listen to the church, treat them as you would treat someone who does not know God or who is a tax collector.

Galatians 6:1-10 teaches us to help each other
Brothers and sisters, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are following the Spirit should go to the one who is sinning. Help make that person right again, and do it gently. But be careful, because you may be tempted to sin as well. Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to do this, you are only fooling yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have done anything to be proud of. You must each accept the responsibilities that are yours. Whoever is being taught God’s word should share the good things they have with the one who is teaching them. If you think you can fool God, you are only fooling yourselves. You will harvest what you plant. If you live to satisfy your sinful self, the harvest you will get from that will be eternal death. But if you live to please the Spirit, your harvest from the Spirit will be eternal life. We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it. However, we should give special attention to those who are part of the family of believers.

In Colossians 3:12-17, we study about our new life with each other
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. Alongside these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love holds everything together in perfect unity. Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. You were chosen to be together in one body for peace. And always be thankful. Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Everything you say and do should be done for Jesus, your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.

1 John 4:7-12, tells us that Love comes from God
We should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him. True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins. That is how much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each other, God’s love has reached its goal – it is made perfect in us.

How to seek God’s help?
Ask God to help you focus on His compassion and grace to lift you out of your despair and heartache. Whether it’s spiritual protection from Satan’s attack or physical protection, we can come to God and ask Him to be our protector and provider. Seek refuge and lean on God, not on your own strength or abilities.

King David seeks God’s help in Psalm 5, asking God to hear his plea, guide him, and judge the wicked, contrasting their deceitful ways with the joy and refuge found by those who trust in God’s mercy and righteousness, ending with a request for blessing and protection for the faithful.

In Psalm 57, we see King David praying from a cave while fleeing King Saul, expressing deep trust in God’s merciful protection, using imagery like a mother hen shielding her young. Despite his peril, David resolves to sing and praise God, confident that God will deliver him and vindicate him, and that His glory will be shown above the earth. It’s a shift from fear to faith, focusing on God’s steadfast love and faithfulness as the ultimate refuge and source of praise.

According to Matthew 7:7-12, continue to ask, and God will give it to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find, and whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. “Do any of you have a son? If he asks for bread, would you give him a rock? Or if he asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not! You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him. A very important rule: “Do for others what you would want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

In Psalm 25, we see David’s plea to God in times of trouble, where he seeks God’s guidance, protection from enemies, and forgiveness for sins. Amidst trouble and loneliness, David expresses deep trust, asking to be taught God’s paths and not to be remembered for past transgressions. It highlights God’s mercy, faithfulness, and instruction for the humble.

According to Matthew 6:24-34
You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one and love the other, or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and money at the same time. So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into the fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small. Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ That’s what those people who don’t know God worry about. But your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.

Matthew 10:26-31, tells us to fear God, not people
Don’t be afraid of people. Everything that is hidden will be shown. Everything secret will be made known. I tell you all this secretly, but I want you to tell it publicly. Whatever I tell you privately, you should shout for everyone to hear. Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only thing you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell. When birds are sold, two small birds cost only a penny. But not even one of those little birds can die without the Father knowing it. God even knows how many hairs are on your head. So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than a whole flock of birds.

1 Peter 1:3-5, gives a Living Hope to all of us
Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy, he gave us a new life. This new life brings us hope through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death. Now we wait to receive the blessings God has for his children. These blessings are kept for you in heaven. They cannot be ruined, destroyed, or lose their beauty. God’s power protects you through your faith, and it keeps you safe until your salvation comes. That salvation is ready to be given to you at the end of time.

Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).