https://odb.org/2025/04/22/loving-others
Deuteronomy 10:14–19 (NIV): 14 To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the LORD, your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
Every now and then, we have new joiners at work. In a sense, these are “foreigners” in our midst. I’ve noticed that some have it good as they are properly welcomed and that much effort are expanded by the incumbents to make the new joiners feel at home. In my previous organisation, they assigned specific buddies to welcome specific new joiners. One is assigned to one. But unless the new joiner is joining your department, the euphoria is usually over after the first day. One lunch together, and after that, it is BAU (business as usual).
I have not experienced it myself, but I have heard stories of new joiners getting the cold shoulder. For some reason, the new joiner is boycotted and made to feel unwanted. Perhaps a popular colleague had been let go, and his replacement is seen through hostile and bitter eyes. Loyalty to the previous guy, but in most cases, it is no fault of the new joiner. This is most unfortunate. However, like the euphoria over the welcomed new joiner fading after the first day, most of these boycotts will also not last long, overwhelmed by the pressures of your own workload.
In understanding God’s heart, it is necessary that we look at passages like today’s Deuteronomy 10. The LORD in telling the Israelites to be grateful, told them that despite the heavens and earth and everything in them are His, He chose their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and loved them as His own. Likewise, he chose them (the Israelites delivered out of Egypt) above all other nations. Thus, they must likewise love the foreigners among them as they were once foreigners in Egypt.
God’s heart is always with the orphans, widows, and foreigners. During those ancient ancient times, these underprivileged groups were likely slaves (or captured prisoners of war or debtors) or those who lost their lands through some misfortune (every family who came out of Egypt were given a piece of land) or families who lost their fathers fighting battles to conquer the Promised Land of Canaan.
Our eyes must always be on the underprivileged even as we have been given the privilege to know Jesus and are destined for eternal life. We ourselves may be struggling, but there are many worse off than us. Extend them a helping hand whenever we can. Have a compassionate heart because that’s the heart of our God, our Heavenly Father and that of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Ronnie's Thoughts 