Zechariah 7:8

 Zechariah 7:8 says, And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,  Verse nine adds, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:   Zechariah said God's word came to Him again,  and then tells us what God said.  When God's word comes to us today, we should be willing to share what He says with others.  Of course, it will always be consistent with His written word, and the main word of God that we need to share is the Gospel.  God called on His people to use true judgment and to shew mercy and compassion to his brothers.  We sometimes like to limit this to our fellow Christians, but God tells us all men are to be treated as our brothers.  Of course, this includes women being treated as our sisters as well.  Verse ten continues, 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.  God also said they were not to oppress the widows or children without fathers nor the poor.  Too often today, these people are looked down on, ignored or mistreated.  God also said that His people were not to imagine evil against their brothers, or sisters, in ther heart.  Even our thoughts should not include evil against the less fortunate, nor anyone else for that matter.  Verse eleven declares, But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.  God said that His people had refused to listen to Him, even stopping up their ears against His word when it was proclaimed.  We better pray that as professed followers of Christ that we never come to a point where we refuse to listen to what God has to say.  Verse twelve adds, Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.  God said that those who were called His people hardened their hearts against Him and refused to listen to the prophets that He sent to them.   It was God's Spirit that gave the prophets their message, and it is God's Spirit that will give us our message to the world today.  Of course, we cannot just say what we believe and claim that it is God's word, but as true followers of Christ, we must make sure that the message of God that we share with others is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit, and if it, it will be consistent with His written word, the Bible.  God also said that because of ther refusal to hear Hie word, they incurred His wrath.  If we refuse to hear and believe the gospel of Christ, one day we will face the wrath of God, but the choice is ours.  Verse thirteen continues, Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:  God said that since His people would not hear when He cried out to them, that He therefore would not hear when they cried out to Him.  The people of Israel felt that God had to listen to them when they cried out to Him, no matter what.  God said that unless they were truly His people in spirit and in truth that He would not hear them when they cried out to Him.  We cannot ignore God's word until we find ourselves in trouble and then expect Him to have to hear our cry.  We must listen to God and follow His word as the time to be successful as Christians.  Verse fourteen concludes, But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.  God said He had scattered the people of Israel and left their land desolate.  This was a land flowing with milk and honey when God gave it to them, but His blessing on them had never been enough to satisfy them.  If we are followers of Christ today, we need to enjoy what God blesses us with and give Him thanks and praise for it.