Verse of the Day 4/20

 

Verse of the Day 4/20

 

Luke 14:13-14    But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

For the past couple of days we've taken a look at a couple of the "when you" statements of Jesus, "when you pray" and "when you fast" as things that we are called to do.  Fasting is not something that I would say many of us do very often.  But today's "when you" verse is most likely very rarely put into practice.

 

I'm sure that we've been to dinner and hosted dinners with friends and neighbors, back yard barbeques and even bigger celebrations but how often has the guest list included strangers, and in particular the poor or handicapped or perhaps the widowed?

 

Over the years my wife Jean has invited people for dinner that we really didn't know.  It may have been a couple that she met in a new members class or someone else new to the church and she's invited some over for a holiday meal that didn't have other family in town.  But today's verse even carries it to another level.

 

It is not an easy thing to do, it would definitely be out of our comfort zone, but we are called to hospitality.  The next time that a dinner party or barbeque is being planned maybe we should consider inviting "some people who never get invited out" (The Message).  As The Message below also points out "you'll be – and experience – a blessing."

 

Romans 12:13  When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. New Living Translation (NLT)

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Luke 14:12-14 The Message (MSG)

^12-14 Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be—and experience—a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God's people."

 

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