Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Grace of Hospitality

A Christian view of hospitality is rooted in the Old Testament where we note that God “loves the sojourner” (Deut 10:18). It is a part of Israel’s story to whom God said, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22:21). The importance of hospitality is demonstrated positively in the stories of Abraham (Gen 18), Lot (Gen 19), Rebekah (Gen 24) and others.

In the New Testament, hospitality was a practical issue. Although inns were common, most were far from ideal and some were no more than brothels. Jesus and his disciples often depended on the hospitality of others. During the missionary expansion of the church, you see traveling believers being hosted in the towns which they visited.

S. C. Barton suggests that “hospitality, for Paul as for Jesus before him, is not just a practical issue. It is a fundamental expression of the gospel: a response to God’s hospitality to humankind in providing Christ as the ‘paschal lamb’ (1 Cor 5:7) and an outworking of what it means to be members of the one ‘body of Christ’.”

Not only is hospitality a fundamental expression of the Christian faith, it is also an outworking of Christian love. The connection drawn between brotherly love and hospitality is clearly demonstrated in Romans 12:10-13: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

Although today we tend to retreat into our homes after work and “nail the door shut behind us”, as Christians, we need to revisit our responsibility to engage our co-workers and neighbors for the cause of Christ. In showing hospitality to others and opening our homes and hearts to them, we have the opportunity to refresh Christians and give a viable witness to non believers.

Posted by Jim at 21:36:03 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Don’t Kill the Goose

Stephen Covey wrote a best seller entitled “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”  In the book he told the story of the golden goose.

There was once a farmer who bought a beautiful goose. He took the goose home and placed it in a comfortable enclosure that had a sweet grass and a fresh water pond. A week later the golden goose laid a golden egg and the farmer was ecstatic! He took the golden egg into town, cashed it in, and had a wonderful time spending the money on all the things he had never been able to do before.

The following week he found that the golden goose had laid another golden egg! Again he cashed it in and spent the money. This happened week after week until one week the farmer just couldn’t wait till the end of the week to get the golden egg so he killed the goose and cut the golden egg out of it.

It was not until after he had spent the money in wild living that he realized there would be no golden egg next week for he had killed the goose. The moral of the story is to never kill your golden goose.

By the way, your family is your golden goose. It is the most valuable earthly treasure you’ll ever have. Not your house, not your car, not your career, but your family is irreplaceable. Treasure your family, protect your family, nurture your family, and above all enjoy your family.

You know the only thing that can add more value to your family is to make Jesus the Lord of your home. I challenge moms and dads to make a fresh commitment to Christ and follow the example of Joshua and say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

Posted by Jim at 15:32:21 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Sing It Again

2 Samuel 22 is a prayer song David sang after God saved him from his enemies.  After a very difficult season in his life, David praised God for the victory He gave.  

Years later, David still had the song in his heart.  He was older and as he looked back on all God had done for him throughout his life, the familiar words sprung to his mind.  He took the old song, and as one commentator says, “David polished it up a bit.”  He took the song to the temple and it became part of the worship music of his day.

You can view David’s song of victory and thanksgiving today by going to Psalm 18.  It would be impossible to ever grow tired of the beautiful words of the Psalm.  The major difference in 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 is the first verse.  In the American Standard Version the first verse of Psalm 18 says, ”I love you, O Lord, my strength.”

David added his love for God to the song at the very beginning.  Perhaps he realized the most important thing before thanking God, before proclaiming the mighty victory, was to simply tell God he loved Him.  As you praise God today for the victories He has brought in your life, remember to first tell Him how much you love Him.  Sing it again and again.  I don’t think He ever gets tired of hearing your song.

Posted by Jim at 14:03:59 | Permalink | Comments (1) »