The Greatest Commandment: One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “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.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. Mark 12:28-32

Do not mistreat foreigners, widows, or orphans. God hears the cry of the oppressed. He takes their pain personally. Compassion is not optional, it is covenant behavior.

It reads in Exodus 22:21–24 Easy: “Remember, in the past you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. So, you should not cheat or hurt anyone who is a foreigner in your land. “You must never do anything bad to women whose husbands are dead or to orphans. If you do anything wrong to these widows or orphans, I will know it. I will hear about their suffering. And I will be very angry. I will kill you with a sword. Then your wives will become widows, and your children will become orphans.

Father God, You hear the cries of the stranger, the widow, and the orphan. Give us hearts that welcome and hands that help. Teach us to act with justice, to show mercy without delay, and to protect those who are vulnerable. Let our lives reflect Your compassion so no one in our community is forgotten or oppressed. Love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

“Let us love one another as Christ loved us, with open arms for the orphan, with tender care for the widow, and with hearts that remember the forgotten.”