Monday, September 12, 2016

HOSPITALITY - Sept 12 Today's Perspective

PERSPECTIVES FROM DAVID’S 7 SECRETS
Chapter Six, “Be There, Like A Good Neighbor” p. 83

NO GRUMBLING    

We love our privacy, but there are times to open our hearts and arms to those around us.  Not the least of which is to simply be a friendly, good, Christian testimony, to see if the Lord opens the way for an honest witness to His love and grace.


Jesus spoke what is now called, “The Golden Rule”.   He said in Luke 6:31, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” 

You may recall from one of my earlier blogs that David found a survivor of Jonathan, a close friend from his youth, who was actually the grandson of King Saul. His name was Mephibosheth.  David gave him a seat at his own table, a very hospitable act.

Later, David himself needed some hospitality when escaping from his own son, Absalom, who was trying to kill him and take the kingdom away from David.  When David crossed the Jordan with his large entourage, he was met with hospitality.  Shobi, Makir, Ammiel and his old friend, Barzillai, “brought bedding, and bowls and pottery, wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat.”  2 Sam. 17:28-29

Sometimes if we are asked to provide hospitality and it’s not our idea, we may not feel that open hearted. But, Peter
says in 1st Peter 4:9, “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

Some people are just not good at hospitality and for others it is their spiritual gift.  Paul said in Romans 12:13, “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”  Either way we need to do our best at entertaining and giving of ourselves and our resources.

And remember, in Hebrews it talks about the possibility of entertaining angels without knowing it.  I love entertaining, but I have not seen any angels recently!   However, you never really know for sure, so just…

BE AN ANGEL YOURSELF



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