Zechariah 7:8-10 KJV
And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying,

[9] Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

[10] And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

My friend, Steve, was a very staunch member of the Charismatic Renewal in my school, when we were students. His level of commitment was very admirable.

Many years after school while we were talking, Steve confessed to me he wasn’t fasting as much as he did anymore. My initial thoughts leaned towards backsliding, so I was going to encourage a brother, only for him to present me with an eye opener. He was now more conscious of mercy and compassion towards his fellow man. His religiosity had taken a different shape due to consistent reading of the Word.

The Jews, while in exile fasted and prayed a lot for freedom. Now that they were free, the prophet Zechariah would advise them to now devote more time to mercy and compassion, while they feasted and made merry.

Being religious is not a bad thing, but when we neglect true judgement, show of mercy and compassion to our fellows, it makes nonsense of all our religiosity. Feast and make merry when you have to. Give yourself to love and practise same to others. True religion is of the heart!

Have a blessed day.

#CarllyDevotionals #1ChapterADay #OCP