Scripture Scrapbook #37: The Cure for Loneliness
Scripture - Luke 14:12-14: “Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’“
Dear Friends,
When we give, do we want to get paid back? Yes. That’s ok, that is human. Jesus is just telling us that it’s worth it to wait for Him to pay us back at the right time. It will be so much richer then than we can imagine now. Our motivation cannot be for the fame and acclaim of the rich and famous and those able to help us out in life. Our hearts are to lift up Jesus and His Kingdom; he will take care of our concerns.
Are you lonely? Invite someone to eat with you; prepare a meal; take a meal; take someone to a meal; think of cooking and cleaning dishes as ministry time. Who knows what Kingdom light may dawn in a life because of sharing kindness and doing a little extra work. That light just might dawn in your life and mine.
Imagine Jesus at the Last Supper. He carefully kept the place of this fellowship unknown so Judas could not bring the soldiers there and destroy that evening. How much more barren would our lives have been had we not had the records and teachings of this hospitality and love our Lord poured out. Communion, the sacrament that brings us close to the Lord by remembering His sacrifice, and the sacrament that turns us to look at the sin of our own hearts, and the sacrament that binds us to one another, was begun at this meal the Lord protected and shared with His disciples, even the one who brutally betrayed him.
This season, what hospitality can you offer that may change a life or even history? By blessing others, we hold a hand out of hope to ourselves.
And, are we not the crippled, the lame, the blind, the poor that God has invited into His house?
Finally, are we doing our best to uplift the spirits of those within our family when we gather for a meal together? Do we look our best, dress the table well, have good food and conversation?
Prayers and Praises: Celebrate that one person has found housing; another family has a breakthrough in their business life; safe travels over Thanksgiving
Prayer Requests: for critically ill woman whose life hangs in the balance; for health of a recently married couple; for job favor and exams, for a college student who went to the emergency room for asthma; for complete healing from kidney surgery and restoration of function, for trust in the Lord for a student’s future and housing, for the final funding for the Moldovan camp so it can be usable by July 2019, for healing from cancer in Florida, and for many other needs for healing.
Dear Lord, You invite us to Your table. Help us to do the same. Amen.
Post your comments, including hospitality stories, and prayer requests below.
Next time - Scripture Scrapbook #38: Pay Your Bills
Scripture for Next Time - Matt 22:19-21: “ ‘Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, ‘Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Ceasar’s,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘Give to Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and to God what is Gods.’ ’’
Extras:
The Message Lives On - a beautiful piece forwarded from the Bill Graham Evangelical Association about Billy Graham for his 100th birthday.
Recommended Recipe: Butter Pie Crust - passed on by local doctor
Recommended Book: A Life that Says Welcome