LHM Daily Devotion - October 31, 2017 "Yah! (Yes!)"

A good many years ago, I was in Alaska for a Reformation Day rally...

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

"Yah! (Yes!)"

October 31, 2017

(Jesus said) "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

~ Revelation 2:10 (ESV)

A good many years ago, I was in Alaska for a Reformation Day rally.

Totally by accident, a tour which was being hosted by my brilliant Lutheran Hour predecessor and octogenarian, Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, happened to be in Anchorage at the same time. Hearing that Ossie was going to be making a presentation in the afternoon, Pam and I decided to attend.

Before Ossie took center stage, another fellow was there talking about the Reformation.

During the course of the man's rather dry remarks, I thought Ossie had fallen asleep. I was wrong. When the speaker asked, "Does anyone know what Luther's last words were?" without opening his eyes, Ossie said, "Yah." Ignoring Dr. Hoffmann, the speaker asked again, "Does anyone know what Luther's last words were?" A second time, Ossie responded, "Yah."

Appearing somewhat put out by what he considered to be an interruption, the speaker turned to Ossie and asked, "Okay, Dr. Hoffmann, just what were Luther's last words?"

For the first time Ossie opened his eyes and said, "Luther's last word was "Ja"--"Yes."

I looked it up and found Dr. Hoffmann was right. Martin Luther, the great reformer, was born in the small German town of Eisleben. Sixty-three years later, Luther returned to that town to preach. While he was there he was struck down by an illness. In great pain he called out, "O God, how I suffer!" Then he lapsed into semi-consciousness. While Luther was in that condition, a friend came to him and whispered, "Reverend Father, do you still hold to Christ and the doctrine you have preached?"

With great effort, Luther responded, "Yes!" After that, Luther went home to be with God.

In the course of his life, Luther had written more than 60,000 pages. In those pages, he had, once again, placed the Bible into the hands of the people; he had reemphasized the scriptural truth that we are saved by God's grace rather than by our actions, and he had let the world know that our just God had done everything necessary so lost souls could be saved through the sacrifice of His Son.

Today, much of Christianity celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation which began the day Luther nailed his 95 debating points on the church door in Wittenberg. We give thanks to the Lord for using the writings of a humble German friar to bless us.

But as we do, we also must say that of all of his words in all the books, pamphlets, sermons, and letters Luther said and wrote, no word was more important than his last, simple, "Yah."

With that single word, Luther declined to recant that which he had so powerfully preached and proclaimed. With that word, Luther showed that when everything else is gone and there are no more tomorrows, we are saved by God-given faith in the crucified and risen Redeemer.

Is this something you also believe? I pray that you, like Luther, can say, "Yah!"

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we give thanks for the heroes of faith whom You have raised up. We rejoice that You took sinners and used them to accomplish Your purposes. Today I ask that the Holy Spirit touch lost hearts and let them join with Luther in his last confession of faith: "Yah. I am saved by faith alone, as shown in Scripture alone, by God's grace alone." In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

The Daily Readings for MONDAY, October 30, 2017

Matthew 12:43-45

Daily Readings

Zechariah 1:7-17

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and Zechariah said, In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are." So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, "They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth." Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace." Then the angel of the LORD said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?" Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim this message: Thus says the LORD of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Proclaim further: Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.

Revelation 1:4-20

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Matthew 12:43-50

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation." While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 41 Beatus qui intelligit

1   Happy are they who consider the poor and needy! the LORD will deliver them in the time of trouble.
2   The LORD preserves them and keeps them alive, so that they may be happy in the land; he does not hand them over to the will of their enemies.
3   The LORD sustains them on their sickbed and ministers to them in their illness.
4   I said, "LORD, be merciful to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you."
5   My enemies are saying wicked things about me: "When will he die, and his name perish?"
6   Even if they come to see me, they speak empty words; their heart collects false rumors; they go outside and spread them.
7   All my enemies whisper together about me and devise evil against me.
8   A deadly thing, they say, has fastened on him; he has taken to his bed and will never get up again.
9   Even my best friend, whom I trusted, who broke bread with me, has lifted up his heel and turned against me.
10   But you, O LORD, be merciful to me and raise me up, and I shall repay them.
11   By this I know you are pleased with me, that my enemy does not triumph over me.
12   In my integrity you hold me fast, and shall set me before your face for ever.
13   Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, from age to age. Amen. Amen.

Psalm 52 Quid gloriaris?

1   You tyrant, why do you boast of wickedness against the godly all day long?
2   You plot ruin; your tongue is like a sharpened razor, O worker of deception.
3   You love evil more than good and lying more than speaking the truth.
4   You love all words that hurt, O you deceitful tongue.
5   Oh, that God would demolish you utterly, topple you, and snatch you from your dwelling, and root you out of the land of the living!
6   The righteous shall see and tremble, and they shall laugh at him, saying,
7   This is the one who did not take God for a refuge, but trusted in great wealth and relied upon wickedness.
8   But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9   I will give you thanks for what you have done and declare the goodness of your Name in the presence of the godly.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 44 Deus, auribus

1   We have heard with our ears, O God, our forefathers have told us, the deeds you did in their days, in the days of old.
2   How with your hand you drove the peoples out and planted our forefathers in the land; how you destroyed nations and made your people flourish.
3   For they did not take the land by their sword, nor did their arm win the victory for them; but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance, because you favored them.
4   You are my King and my God; you command victories for Jacob.
5   Through you we pushed back our adversaries; through your Name we trampled on those who rose up against us.
6   For I do not rely on my bow, and my sword does not give me the victory.
7   Surely, you gave us victory over our adversaries and put those who hate us to shame.
8   Every day we gloried in God, and we will praise your Name for ever.
9   Nevertheless, you have rejected and humbled us and do not go forth with our armies.
10   You have made us fall back before our adversary, and our enemies have plundered us.
11   You have made us like sheep to be eaten and have scattered us among the nations.
12   You are selling your people for a trifle and are making no profit on the sale of them.
13   You have made us the scorn of our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.
14   You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughing-stock among the peoples.
15   My humiliation is daily before me, and shame has covered my face;
16   Because of the taunts of the mockers and blasphemers, because of the enemy and avenger.
17   All this has come upon us; yet we have not forgotten you, nor have we betrayed your covenant.
18   Our heart never turned back, nor did our footsteps stray from your path;
19   Though you thrust us down into a place of misery, and covered us over with deep darkness.
20   If we have forgotten the Name of our God, or stretched out our hands to some strange god,
21   Will not God find it out? for he knows the secrets of the heart.
22   Indeed, for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23   Awake, O Lord! why are you sleeping? Arise! do not reject us for ever.
24   Why have you hidden your face and forgotten our affliction and oppression?
25   We sink down into the dust; our body cleaves to the ground.
26   Rise up, and help us, and save us, for the sake of your steadfast love.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Prayer of the Day for MONDAY, October 30, 2017

Holy Father, Holy God, I come before you today in reverence and awe; I am filled with humility in the face of your greatness, your majesty, your holiness, and your power. And to acknowledge my sinfulness in the face of your pure and holy presence fills me with fear. Yet I pray boldly, for you have called me and adopted me as your rightful heir, through the sacrifice of your Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I give you thanks for your mercy with every ounce of my being, and pray that your Holy Spirit might be with me, that I might do your will in every thought and action this day; and that the work of my hands and the words of my tongue might seek your glory, and not my own.

And I promise, with your help and grace, to be fearless in the world; for if you are with me, who can be against me? Let me not hesitate to call upon you, for your power and love will see me through anything this world can bring against me. All thanks and praise be to you, almighty God.

In the name of Christ, I pray,

Amen

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, October 30, 2017

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Read all of Ephesians 2

Listen to Ephesians 2

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

~ Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)

First off, we have to remember this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” is an aspiration for most Christians, not a reality. It is hard to tell how far one might properly take it. What would we be like if we hit the 99.99% mark? Something like John the Baptist, one would imagine. Or we might rather adopt a lifestyle more like Jesus Himself, because He apparently lived a little more conformant to societal norms than John. After all, He drank wine and ate bread, and even roast lamb, at least sometimes. He wore better clothes than John. He travelled to cities and towns, and seems to have slept indoors on regular occasions.

This train of speculative thought could run on and on, but the gulf between our lifestyle, and that of Christ or any of His disciples, is not the point of Proverbs 3:5. The verse addresses a narrow sliver of our being, i.e., our “understanding,” our thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. I only mention lifestyle to illustrate how far away we are from true attainment. We can easily see, in other words, that we are driving around in a heated automobile and sleeping in a comfy bed, and compare that to walking with only one staff and pair of sandals, or fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. It is more difficult to see how distant our ideas and beliefs are from the commandments of Scripture.

If we think about Biblical principles and compare them to our own lives, it eventually becomes painful. Psychology has a term for this pain: Cognitive dissonance. It occurs when our ideals and our conduct conflict. We spend an enormous amount of effort to avoid the pain of cognitive dissonance. There several approaches. Let's imagine a Christian minister walking past a homeless beggar on the street and not helping him out. How does our minister manage to get to sleep that night?

Strategy number 1 is, believe it or not, simply forgetting. Our minds will bend so that we remember something different than what happened. When our minister reads, even the next day, Matthew 25:31-46 (“Lord, when did we see You hungry . . . ?”), he will not remember seeing the homeless beggar. Indeed, if you stopped him ten seconds after he passed the beggar, he might swear he didn't see him!

Strategy number 2 is rationalizing our conduct. Mr. Minister might tell himself, “Our church donates to a shelter for the homeless, he can go there.” Or, “There are dozens of hungry homeless, I cannot help all of them.” Or, “If I gave him money, he’d just use it to buy liquor.”

But we are interested, today, in Strategy Number 3: rationalizing the ideal. We simply find ways, in our mind, not to read what the Bible says. A respected pastor in my home city recently told his congregation that such Biblical statements as “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities,” (Romans 13:1), or “You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people,” (Acts 23:5), must be “read in context.” He then explained that the authorities of Jesus’ time were totalitarian, whereas we live in a democracy. Therefore, the Biblical statements do not apply to us.

If you guessed that this was said to a politically conservative congregation, while Obama was President of the U.S., you guessed correctly. (I did not have a chance to ask him if a Christian in Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia would, then, be obligated to submit to governmental authority.)

There are dozens and dozens of similar examples, of Biblical statements that are inconvenient to our mindsets. Every single one of us has some part of the Bible that we discount, an ideal given to us by God that we warp or discount in our mind, basically — well, basically because we do not want to follow it. We do not “agree” with it. We do not trust in the Lord, but lean upon our own understanding.

So, our assignment is for each of us to identify one or more passages of the Bible that we discount. Write down the cite for a passage you think is outdated, intolerable, unthinkable, illogical, etc. And meditate on this: “Is my criticism of this verse motivated by my obedience to God, or am I trying to satisfy some personal ideology or desire?” Do not worry about the mental pain, for the burden is light. In God’s mercy and forgiveness, we will find our relief.

Lord, lead me to trust you more each day. Amen.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


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Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Devotion shared by Mason Barge, Editor, Daily Prayer.
Cognitive dissonance.

Un Dia a la Vez - Jesús y la limosna

Jesús y la limosna

Que sea tu limosna en secreto; y tu Padre que ve en lo secreto te recompensará en público.

~ Mateo 6:4 (RV-60)

En este día veremos principios que Dios dejó establecidos a fin de que se cumplan al pie de la letra. Y juntos vamos a pedirle a nuestro Jesús que nos ilumine y nos permita entender, con palabras muy sencillas, lo que nos dejó en la Biblia. Lo que es más importante, una vez que los entendamos, que seamos capaces de aplicarlos para tener una vida en victoria.

La limosna o la ofrenda, como se le conoce en otras partes, debe ser algo que se entregue con mucha prudencia y no de una manera ruidosa y llamativa, pues Jesús mismo llama hipócritas a quienes lo hacen así. En realidad, esta clase de persona es la que se hace pasar por piadosa sin serlo. Por eso recuerda que la ofrenda es algo entre tú y Dios.

Tampoco llamemos la atención con nuestros actos de humanidad, porque lo que hacemos es como para Dios y no para los hombres. Nadie necesita saber lo que haces por los demás y menos en cuestión de dinero.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - WALKING BY FAITH

WALKING BY FAITH

For we live by faith, not by sight.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

Brother Wei from South-east Asia tells his story to a staff member of Open Doors. He is too shy to look at him directly. While he is speaking, he keeps his eyes lowered.

I'm forty-one years old and I'm a simple rice farmer. Twenty years ago, I became a Christian and in the past years, I've been in prison thirteen times because of my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The last time I was in a notorious prison, surrounded by a moat. In order to torment the prisoners, we were given rice mixed with sand. There were no toilets - we just had to find a spot somewhere.

I was arrested because I believed in Jesus and because I was active as a preacher. The punishment for this "crime" was two and a half years in prison, but I could be released sooner if I renounced my faith.

The guards constantly tried to force me to deny my faith. I was to sign a form which stated that I had "voluntarily renounced my faith" and that I would "no longer attend meetings." I was bound hand and foot and beaten, but I refused to deny my faith. My fellow prisoners mocked me and swore at me. They called me the "Jesus man." I wasn't allowed a Bible, and if I was caught praying, I was beaten.

After my release, as a result of the abuse I was no longer able to walk fast or to run. Sometimes I could no longer find the words to describe something.

Once I was back in our village, I heard that we had to leave because we hadn't been granted permission to go on living there. We were not allocated any land to work, the children were no longer allowed to go to school and the hospital was no longer willing to help us. Then we left and went to another district, where we had to start over again.

When the Open Doors worker asked him how he had been able to endure all this persecution, Brother Wei said, “I don't trust in what eyes can see, but I’ve put my trust in the Eternal, the Lord Jesus.”

RESPONSE: Today I will persevere through the challenges that come my way with faith in the Eternal God.

PRAYER: Pray that all Christians being persecuted today will respond with this strong faith!

Women of the Bible - Martha

Martha

Her name means: "Lady" (the feminine form of "Lord")

Her character: Active and pragmatic, she seemed never at a loss for words. Though Jesus chastened her for allowing herself to become worried and upset by small things, she remained his close friend and follower.
Her sorrow: To have waited, seemingly in vain, for Jesus to return in time to heal her brother, Lazarus.
Her joy: To watch as Jesus restored her brother to life.
Key Scriptures: Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-12:3

Her Story

Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus, lived together in Bethany, a village just two miles from Jerusalem, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. All three were intimate friends of Jesus.

During one of his frequent stays in their home, Martha became annoyed with Mary, her indignation spilling over like water from a boiling pot. Instead of helping with the considerable chore of feeding and housing Jesus and his retinue of disciples, Mary had been spending her time sitting happily at his feet. Feeling ignored and unappreciated, Martha marched over to Jesus and demanded: "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

But Jesus wouldn't oblige. Instead, he chided her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her."

Jesus' tender rebuke must have embarrassed and startled her, calculated as it was to break the grip of her self-pity and reveal what was really taking place under her own roof and in her own heart. Perhaps this competent woman realized for the first time just how much she had been missing. Distracted by the need to serve Jesus, she had not taken time to enjoy him, to listen and learn from him. Her anger at Mary may have stemmed more from envy than from any concern about being overworked, for her sister had made her way into the circle of men to sit at the feet of the Teacher and learn from him.

Martha's story, of course, points to what is really important in life. She seemed confused and distracted, conned into believing her ceaseless activity would produce something of lasting importance. But Martha does more than simply instruct through her mistakes. She shows what it is like to have a relationship with Jesus so solid and close that no posturing or hiding is necessary. Martha seemed free to be herself in his presence. Where else should she have taken her frustration and anger, after all, but to Jesus?

Martha seems to have worked out her faith directly and actively, questioning, challenging, asking Jesus to rectify whatever had gone wrong. Her spirituality was like that of Jacob, who wrestled all night with an angel, or Job, who questioned God in the midst of his suffering, or Peter, who stumbled brashly forward into faith despite his mistakes.

In a later scene, after her brother died, we see Martha running to meet Jesus as soon as she heard he was near. Her greeting to Jesus was tinged with complaint: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But faith, too, was present: "I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

"Your brother will rise again," Jesus assured her.

"I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day, " Martha replied.

"I am the resurrection and the life, " Jesus said. "Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord, " she told him. "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

But right after her tremendous expression of faith, Martha's practical side reasserted itself. When Jesus asked for the stone to be removed from Lazarus's tomb, she objected, raising the concern on everyone's mind: "But, Lord, there will be a terrible stink. Lazarus has been there four days!" How amazed she must have been when instead of the stench of death, Lazarus himself emerged from the tomb.

The more we delve into Martha's story, the more familiar it seems—as familiar as the face gazing at us in the bathroom mirror. A woman who placed too much importance on her own activity and not enough on sitting quietly before Jesus, she pleaded for fairness without realizing that her version of fairness was itself unfair. Her commonsensical approach to life made faith difficult. But she also loved Jesus and was confident of his love for her. How else could she have found the courage to keep pressing him for answers to her many questions? Martha offers a warmly human portrait of what it means to have Jesus as a friend, allowing him to stretch her faith, rebuke her small vision of the world, and show her what the power of God can do.

Her Promise

Martha meets Jesus again in John 11 after the death of her brother, Lazarus. With characteristic forthrightness, she tells Jesus that if he had come earlier, Lazarus would not have died. Her statements open the way for Jesus to declare for all to hear—including us today—that he alone is the resurrection and the life. If we believe in him, even if we die, we live. What a promise! What a comfort! Through Jesus, death no longer has any power over us.

Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.

Girlfriends in God - How May I Help You?

How May I Help You?

Arlene Pellicane

Today’s Truth

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

~ 1 Peter 4:9 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

My husband likes to say, “I’m not sure what my favorite day of the year is.  It’s a toss-up between my birthday and Father’s Day.”

Cue my “Oh brother!” look.

He means it as a joke and I know that.  Of course he loves getting special treatment on holidays and birthdays.  Who wouldn’t?  Most of us would like to be the one being pampered than the one doing the pampering!

We don’t often feel like serving.  Yet we can choose to serve…with a smile.

When you walk into a nice hotel or store, an employee who says something like “How may I help you” usually greets you?

They may not feel like showing hospitality, but it’s part of their job description to smile and make you feel welcome.

As believers in Jesus, it’s a part of our job description to offer hospitality to each other.  As we see in today’s verse, we’re also supposed to give it without grumbling.

Minutes before having guests for dinner, I have been known to stress out, bark out last minute orders to my kids, and start running around the house frantically from task to task.  I’ve grumbled before entertaining about the preparation and the amount of work it requires to clean the house.

That’s why today’s verse hits me.  I’m supposed to offer hospitality without grumbling.  This doesn’t come naturally.  Perhaps that’s why the Bible includes this instruction.

In the ancient world of the Bible, hospitality was very important because inns were often dangerous places and room was not always available for travelers.  Peter writes about displaying real love in everyday life – by generously serving others, even when it’s inconvenient.  Hebrews 13:2 says it this way, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

If we are to offer hospitality to strangers without grumbling, it’s probably a good idea to offer hospitality to our family members too.

When it’s my husband’s favorite day (whether that’s Father’s Day or a birthday), I should serve with a smile and cheerful attitude.  I should look for ways to out-do his expectations instead of serving with an “Okay, is that enough?” disposition.

Whether we are entertaining strangers, pouring milk for our children, or bringing a meal to a sick friend, we are to serve with a smile.  Without grumbling.

Galatians 5:13 says to “serve one another humbly in love.”  We might not work at a luxury hotel, restaurant, or shop, but we can live in such a way that says to others “Welcome.  I’m glad you’re here.  How may I help you?”

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, I know You desire for me to show hospitality to others.  Help me to do this when I don’t feel like it.  Give me a Christ-like attitude of service both with strangers and those closest to me.  Change me into a more loving and patient woman.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Do you think your disposition communicates, “How may I help you?” on most days?  Why is this attitude glorifying to God?

More from the Girlfriends

Need some help when it comes to serving your spouse?  Learn to dream once again about the man you married in Arlene’s book 31 Days to Happy Husband.

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Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

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