John 4:35-36
35 You know the saying, ‘Four months
between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The
fields are already ripe for harvest. 36
The harvesters are paid good wages, and the
fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both
the planter and the harvester alike!
Matthew 25:34-40
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are
blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for
you since the creation of the world. 35
For I was hungry and you gave me
something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you
clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you
came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when
did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to
drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing
clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go
to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever
you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Isaiah
58:5-12
Do you think that is the way I want you to fast? Is it only a time for a
man to make himself suffer? Is it only for people to bow their heads
like tall grass that is bent by the wind? Is it only for people to lie
down on black cloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast? Do you
think I can accept that?
"Here is the way I want you to fast. "Set free those who are held by
chains without any reason. Untie the ropes that hold people as slaves.
Set free those who are crushed. Break every evil chain.
Share your food with hungry people. Provide homeless people with a place
to stay. Give naked people clothes to wear. Provide for the needs of
your own family.
Then the light of my blessing will shine on you like the rising sun. I
will heal you quickly. I will march out ahead of you. And my glory will
follow behind you and guard you. That is because I always do what is
right.
You will call out to me for help. And I will answer you. You will cry
out. And I will say, 'Here I am.' "Get rid of the chains you use to hold
others down. Stop pointing your finger at others as if they had done
something wrong. Stop saying harmful things about them.
Work hard to feed hungry people. Satisfy the needs of those who are
crushed. Then my blessing will light up your darkness. And the night of
your suffering will become as bright as the noonday sun.
I will always guide you. I will satisfy
your needs in a land that is baked by the sun. I will make you stronger.
You will be like a garden that has plenty of water. You will be like a
spring whose water never runs dry.
Your people will rebuild the cities that were destroyed long ago. And
you will build again on the old foundations. You will be called The One
Who Repairs Broken Walls. You will be called The One Who Makes City
Streets Like New Again.
Psalm 9:18
But
those who are in need will always be remembered. The hope of those who
are hurting will never die.
Psalm 68:9-10
You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary
inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God,
you provided for the poor.
Proverbs 31:20
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Mark 12:29-31
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the
Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with
all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Galatians 5:14
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as
yourself."
Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who
is kind to the needy.
Romans 13:8
Pay everything you owe. But you can never pay back all the love you owe each
other. Those who love others have done everything the law requires.
