"And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 'This is what the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other" (Zechariah 7:8-10).
When someone is mean to us, the last thing we want to do is to be nice to them. During college, a girl would always be mean to me. I'm not sure why she was hateful to me, apart from the fact that I didn't blend in with everyone in the friend group. Everyone in the friend group looked like this girl, whereas I just looked like me. While this would be seen as extremely shallow and not Christian of her, it is something that happens more often than not within the Christian community.
The idea that individuals can only be friends with people who look like them is far removed from anything Jesus taught us. Nonetheless, this is how this girl behaved, and she wanted me to know that I didn't belong in the friend group. And at the end of the day, she was right. I didn't belong with this group of friends because they were not nice to me, I never felt comfortable around them, and I was trying to be somebody I was not. It took me years to realize that I'm just me, and that's okay.
Maybe I don't come from a prestigious or functional family, but I'm still worthy because I'm a child of God. And you are worthy too. Even if others have been mean to you like this girl was to me, you are more than worthy. As children of the King, we have an eternal home in Heaven that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28-29). Nobody can take this away from us, as they are gifts from God.
Sadly, all of us will continue to face mean people, similar to this girl I met in college. They will dislike us simply because of how we look, how we talk, or how we are different from them. While I was never mean back to this girl, there have been times when I returned someone's hatred with my own hatred. This is something that we don't need to do. We never need to return evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9). Instead, we must return it with compassion and mercy.
Today's Bible passage focuses on this truth: "And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 'This is what the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other" (Zechariah 7:8-10). This passage shows the Lord speaking through Zechariah to the people of Israel. He tells them to administer true justice, show mercy and compassion, and not oppress the widows, the fatherless, the foreigner, or the poor.
As believers, we need to take the Lord's words to heart. We shouldn't ever be mean to others or look down on them. We have to administer true justice and show mercy and compassion. In our dealings with others, we need to make sure we are always kind, compassionate, merciful, and fair. Additionally, we need to help widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. When we do this, we will bring glory to the Lord.
We cannot control the actions of others, but we can control our own actions, words, and behaviors. Even if other people do not treat us in a Christian way, we still need to treat all people with respect. God will be pleased with our actions when we follow Him and obey His teachings in Zechariah 7:8-10. In our daily lives, we need to ask ourselves how we can apply these teachings to our lives. Maybe we don't have anyone in our life who is being mean or unfair, but we still can apply these teachings to our Christian walk.
We can turn to the Lord whenever we are unsure of where to start or when we need strength. He will be faithful in helping us and giving us comfort.
"Dear Lord, please help me to show mercy and compassion to people even when they are mean to me. Help me also administer true justice and help the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, and the poor. I want to bring glory to You and obey You fully. Thank you for helping me and giving me strength. In Your Name, I pray, Amen."
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Friday, 12 September 2025.
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