And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
When I graduated from high school, I had my whole life planned out. Unfortunately, I didn't involve God in my plans and actually, turned away from Him when I got to college. From there, my life was a downward spiral to destruction. It weighed on me for over twenty-five years until I reconnected with God. That connection made a huge difference in my life, but I still struggled with negative feelings from my past.
It wasn't until I found a remarkable counselor that I was finally able to work through my past and move on.
I've heard people say lately:
"I don't need a therapist. I just need to pray more and read the Bible more."
"I'll be fine. I'm giving it all up to God."
"Time heals all wounds."
All of those things help and are a great first line of defense, but what if God wants you to seek counsel? What if He directed you here to plant the seed? God gives people the gift and education to help others for a reason.
So if you are struggling right now. If you cannot possibly be content because of something happening in your life, or in your past, please consider seeking the counsel of those who can help you.
Your church may have people to help you. But, if not, here are some resources.
K-Love (Yes, the music station. They have pastors on staff to help you.)
Psychology Today (If using this link, I encourage you to find a Christian counselor and one who does EMDR - at least, it worked for me.)
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
Take a moment to think about your own level of contentment. Do you have all that you need? Do you have the basics of life (not the extras that we can all live without)? Do they bring you contentment? Satisfaction? It's okay if the answer is 'no.' We're human, and it's our human nature, or rather our sinful nature that keeps us wanting more. Or is it? The poorest people of Lima, Peru live in what we would consider squalor. Their houses are built out of whatever materials they can find. They don't have clean drinking water. There's trash everywhere. Yet, they're happy and content. If you were to tell them they're poor, they wouldn't know what you're talking about. They may covet their neighbor's electricity (and may take it upon themselves to tap into it), but that's the extent of their "want."* Every time I think about them, I feel ashamed of my own occasional dissatisfaction with life. I have God in my life; I don't need anything or anyone else. But, there are times I find myself longing for this or that. Sometimes the longing is over a relationship, or having time, or needing direction and I take all of those types of things to God. Sometimes it's more materialistic like escaping to a foreign country. That I just keep to myself because I realize it's not a need. Whatever is keeping you from contentment, examine it and then let it go. Count your blessings. Praise God for His mercy, love, and grace.
The Bible verse of the day just popped up on my phone, and how fitting: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 ESV
I absolutely love what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians. It really stops me in my tracks and makes me realize how difficult his life was, yet he said time and time again that he considered his life gain. Dwell on verse 10 below.
6 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 ESV
*This description is from what I've learned from Missionaries who've been in Lima and from the photos I saw of the area where they were serving.
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
A little joke from God, and a lesson in waiting on Him.
Every morning I pray for words to share with you, but sometimes they don't come in the timeframe I need them to and I get impatient. This morning was one of those times. I got frustrated and decided to just post a Bible verse. I chose Philippians 4:19. Scrolling through the images already created with this verse (on the YouVersion app), I realized that I have used all of them in the past, and almost stopped to look for a different verse. Lo and behold, the very last one was the image above. Notice the pencils? God provided a short anecdote (that's what this is, lol) that fits into my allotted writing time, that brings Him glory as supplying all of our needs. It's also a lesson in waiting on Him and trusting in Him. God is so cool! I love seeing Him at work.
And my God will supply every need of yours
according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
I need to make a correction with yesterday's post. I started out talking about 'comfort' but then switched to 'contentment.' We talked about contentment in Women's Group, but the subject of Sunday's sermon was comfort. Somehow, I meshed the two together. Like I've said in the past, I sometimes still experience these chemo-brain moments. (Maybe I should face the fact that they're really senior moments.)
Speaking of senior moments, for the life of me, I can't think of one thing that I was going to write about this week. Yesterday I was full of ideas, but did I write them down? No. No, I did not.
So, I paused and read Psalm 37:1-11 ESV:
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
This whole passage describes what we need to do to be content. How often do we look at others and wish we had what they had? It doesn't even have to be material things. I used to be jealous of a woman who didn't have to work. She wasn't a 'housewife' either. Her husband worked full-time, took care of the house, cooked, ran errands, and did the laundry. She was free to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. What I didn't see was the downside of that. They had no relationship to speak of. She wasted most of her life sleeping. Now, because of how she lived, she has all of these health issues and can't do much of anything even if she wanted to. Why would I want any of that? I want my life to have meaning and the only way to do that is to serve the Lord. That means sharing the gospel, praying, reading my bible, reaching out to others. God has a reason for putting us in the situations He puts us in. It may be so that we meet that one person who needs to hear our story. That person then may reach ten people, and each of those people may reach thirty people. We may not know how God used us to plant seeds until we get to Heaven but we can be satisfied and content knowing that our individual lives each have meaning. Pray without ceasing that His will be done. Then, you will know contentment.
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
During Women's Group yesterday morning, we landed on 1 Timothy 6:6 (and beyond) which prompted a conversation about comfort. Later, it turned out that the entire sermon was focused on comfort, too. So, this is our topic for the week. It's another area that could take us to so many different places and lead us to pray for so many different people, going through a variety of situations that are anything but comfort-giving.
What 1 Timothy 6:6 is talking about, though, is being content when our basic needs are met. John MacArthur wrote: "This Gr. word means, "self-sufficiency," and was used by Stoic philosophers to describe a person who was unflappable and unmoved by external cirucumstances. Christians are to be satisfied and sufficient, and not to seek for more than what God has already given them. He is the source of true contentment..." * People talked about finding contentment in their spouses, in their homes, with their lives. I personally don't find it in any of those places. I don't think I've ever been content in those areas. It's not that I seek something extraordinary--maybe I'm just searching, praying for contentment that others seem to have. But then, isn't that covetous? Our Women's Group leader then said that "My hope is in Christ alone. Everyone else will let us down." That was kind of my 'aha' moment of the day. It was as if God was answering all of the thoughts swirling through my mind during the discussion: Christ alone. Everything else is temporal. Everything else is insignificant.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV
*MacArthur, John (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible, New King James version.
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN.
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Please join me this week in praying for contentment for ourselves and others. May we rest in the hope of Jesus Christ. Pray that those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ come to know Him. Pray that we recognize the daily blessings that God bestows on us. He provides for all of our needs. Let us be thankful for having food, water, shelter, and clothing. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace.
Please join me this week in praying for those who are suffering, and those who feel helpless to do anything about it. Please pray that they keep their focus on God, that they don't waver in their faith. Pray that they find encouragement in the word and through prayer. Pray that they lean on their brothers and sisters in Christ who love them.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for those who are suffering, and those who feel helpless to do anything about it. Please pray that they keep their focus on God, that they don't waver in their faith. Pray that they find encouragement in the word and through prayer. Pray that they lean on their brothers and sisters in Christ who love them.
My experience has been that when I give my problems up to the Lord, my load seems lessened, my problems or worries seem smaller, more manageable. I'm able to think clearer.
Someone posted this on Twitter yesterday and it kind of brought things into perspective:
"Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday." Dale Carnegie
I tried to remember all of the things I've worried about this week and did any of them happen? Did my worries do anyone any good? The answer to both questions is "no."
Then, I looked at what I've prayed for this week, and were any of them answered? Did my prayers do anyone any good? The answer to both questions is "yes."
God is here for us. We need Him. We can't go this alone. Look to Him when you feel helpless. Lean on Him.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Psalm 121:1-3 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for those who are suffering, and those who feel helpless to do anything about it. Please pray that they keep their focus on God, that they don't waver in their faith. Pray that they find encouragement in the word and through prayer. Pray that they lean on their brothers and sisters in Christ who love them.
There is a woman who worries to the point of excess. Not only does she worry about family and friends, but also about things that have nothing to do with her. She builds up these 'what if' scenarios in her mind about things that could go wrong, some of which are so creative and outlandish that it scares me.
I've tried to convince her that she suffers from anxiety, but she doesn't believe me and, therefore, won't do anything about it. The physical results of this are high blood pressure and a stroke. So then I worry. It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? Worry begets worry. Anxiety begets anxiety. All of it takes a toll on us.
As I was preparing to write this, it occurred to me that it all comes down to control. I can't do anything about the actions and decisions of others, so I'm going to worry about them. At least in that way, I'm doing something. It fills two needs within us:
- to be in charge
- to help others
How often have you said or heard others say, "All we can do is pray?" All we can do--as in, we can't really do anything. Oh well. At least praying makes us feel like we're doing something. That is just so wrong! Praying should be our first defense! It's THE prize, not the consolation prize!
Jesus prayed all the time. Do you think He would do that if it was just an exercise in futility? Do you think Jesus prayed because He didn't feel like He could do something more important? No! Of course not! He did it because it was an important course of action and because He knew His Father in Heaven heard His prayers.
Our prayers can make a difference in the lives of others. So, whenever you feel helpless or emboldened (in other words, always), pray to our Father, who loves us.
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer,
believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for those who are suffering, and those who feel helpless to do anything about it. Please pray that they keep their focus on God, that they don't waver in their faith. Pray that they find encouragement in the word and through prayer. Pray that they lean on their brothers and sisters in Christ who love them.
As is typical, whatever the topic we're praying about, suddenly I see many posts about the same subject. God is so cool when He does stuff like that!
Two examples from yesterday:
"If God brings you to it; He will bring you through it." (found on Twitter)
<--- then I found this on FaceBook
It's things like this that show me how God orchestrates everything, even the little stuff. Maybe we don't understand the pain and suffering. We ask, 'how can a loving God allow this?' The truth is that sin and death entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. That is why we suffer. We have to remember that it's just for a short time, though. Soon we'll be resting where there is no more sorrow and no more suffering. God made it so that that could happen because He loves us so very much.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for those who are suffering, and those who feel helpless to do anything about it. Please pray that they keep their focus on God, that they don't waver in their faith. Pray that they find encouragement in the word and through prayer. Pray that they lean on their brothers and sisters in Christ who love them.
As we wrap up this week of prayer, I wanted to briefly talk about, without getting political or upsetting anyone, what we as humans are capable of. My husband and I have been watching several Holocaust movies and documentaries lately. One thing that never occurred to me before was that people did an about-face and turned on their Jewish friends, neighbors, and co-workers. For some reason, I thought the Nazis just knew who was Jewish. I never even considered that people were turning them in. Maybe I didn't want to believe it. Anyway, you know what happened from there. In our own country, there have been other atrocities. There were the Indians. We had slavery in our country. We've turned on the mentally disabled, Asian-Americans (at least twice in our history), Mexicans, and others. We've demonstrated that we're capable of hatred toward anyone different. It doesn't even have to be skin color or religion. Look at the division between political parties. We allow ourselves to get stirred up against whoever is the newest target of choice. We blame them for our troubles. It has to be their fault we're experiencing this, that, or the other because it's certainly not me. Look at how often and how easily we're influenced by the views of others. How great would it be if we were more influenced by the views of God our Father? I've seen several Tweets lately about Jesus wouldn't do this or that if He were here. If it was an act of love, He most certainly would. Look within your own heart and pray to our Father for direction. If you're playing the blame game or having feelings of anger, resentment, bitterness, or hatred against anyone else, pray without ceasing. You can be a significant part of the solution.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 ESV
The blame game The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12-13 ESV
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:16-21 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for guidance. Let's ask our Father to show us our sin, to show us where we're at fault and how we can make things better in our everyday interactions with others. Let's also pray for softened hearts, discernment, and wisdom in all situations. Pray that God helps us become more Christlike so that nonbelievers will see us and respond by seeking Him.
This Bible verse showed up in my search for Bible verses about family so I looked it up on enduringword.com. People sometimes ask, 'who do we pray to?', meaning to God, or to Jesus. My thought was always that we pray to the Father (Luke 11:2) but pray in Jesus' name as Christ tells us to do (John 14:13). I realized that I forget about the Holy Spirit sometimes (Romans 8:26). David Guzik wrote about Ephesians 3:14-15:
To the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Paul directed his prayer to the Father, who is presented as the “planner” among the members of the Trinity. In the Bible, prayer is usually directed to the Father, through the Son, by the empowering and direction of the Holy Spirit.
The Living God is our Father; we are all His children, therefore we are all brothers and sisters. It is my prayer that we treat each other with love and kindness as brothers and sisters should.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Ephesians 3:14-15 ESV
There is no update on Donnie; please continue in prayer for him and his family.
Please join me this week in praying for family. Pray that relationships will be strengthened. Also, pray that families will work out any differences that they have and that they will build a bond that can withstand any tribulation. Let's add to this prayer that our Heavenly Father help lead our unsaved relatives to salvation; that He help them in whatever area of their personality that separates them from others (anger, fear, language, narcissism, physical or mental restrictions, etc...) so they may form lasting relationships which will lead them to You.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Psalm 128:3 ESV
"The interesting thing about these two images, vines and olive plants, is that they are biblical symbols of the abundant life. They are not food staples like wheat or corn. They symbolize rich blessing.” (James Montgomery Boice, 1968)
“The vine and the olive are two of the best fruits…both together implying that a great part of a man’s temporal happiness consisteth in having a good wife and children.” (John Trapp, 1600s)
Words aren't coming to me this morning, but I came across this Bible verse which stated perfectly what is on my heart. Any of us who have family are truly blessed. What we do, how we handle those relationships is entirely up to us.
Please continue to pray for Donnie and Amanda. Their daughter wrote this prayer yesterday:
Lord, we come to you with open hearts and hands- Lord please remove the toxins and swelling from Dad's body. Lord, you’re the ultimate healer and he is here to fight this battle. Lord, please give him the strength to fight this through and move this almighty mountain. Allow him to return home to us for these grandbabies, his children, his wife, and our community. Lord, allow him to be rebuilt from the inside out and do your work on this earth longer. If anyone can heal him lord it’s you. Amen.
Please join me this week in praying for family. Pray that relationships will be strengthened. Also, pray that families will work out any differences that they have and that they will build a bond that can withstand any tribulation.
I was blessed to spend yesterday with my two daughters. We got Submarine House (yay, teezers!(basically, cheesy jalapeno poppers)) and watched Mulan. One of the main themes of the movie was devotion to family. (While I realize that it highlights eastern religious beliefs, I appreciate the story and what it accomplishes.) Sometimes we need what is essentially a children's story to remind us of family values: honoring your father and mother, love and devotion between siblings, sacrifice for one another. Earlier that day, someone spoke in church about a woman who was estranged from both her mother and her children. He wondered what Mother's Day must look like, feel like to her. My heart just broke. My mother calls me multiple times a day. She worries about me constantly and stays involved in my life. My daughters and I have a special bond of not only mother-daughter, but also friendship, understanding, openness, love, and devotion. I can't imagine the heartbreak of not having such strong ties with these awesome women. If possible, mend any fences with family. If it is not possible; if the abuse or hurt is too much to overcome, then please pray for that family member.
Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,
Please join me this week in praying for family. Pray that relationships will be strengthened. Also, pray that families will work out any differences that they have and that they will build a bond that can withstand any tribulation.
All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Please join me this week in praying for the strangers that we have opportunities to serve. Pray that the Lord will guide us and that the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do His will in being hospitable. Pray for an open and loving heart so that we can show and spread the light within us to everyone we meet.
For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Mark 9:41 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for the strangers that we have opportunities to serve. Pray that the Lord will guide us and that the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do His will in being hospitable. Pray for an open and loving heart so that we can show and spread the light within us to everyone we meet.
I have so many favorite parables but the story of the Good Samaritan has to be one of my favorite favorites.
There are several different interpretations, but the most obvious is the fact that a Samaritan helped a Jew in a time of need. At that time, Samaritans and Jews despised each other, yet the Samaritan put all of that aside and only saw that a fellow human, a neighbor, was in need. The two people who should have helped the man, the two so-called religious men and fellow Jews, avoided him.
There's a lot more to unpack here, and it's a lot more than I can effectively share in a blog post, so when you have time, I encourage you to read the commentary at EnduringWord.com about this.
I want to ask you to put yourself in the place of the passersby. What would you do? Before you answer too quickly, take a look at this video.
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:25-37
What would you do?
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Please join me this week in praying for the strangers that we have opportunities to serve. Pray that the Lord will guide us and that the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do His will in being hospitable. Pray for an open and loving heart so that we can show and spread the light within us to everyone we meet.
Today's passage made me think of what's inscribed on a tablet at the base of the Statue of Liberty:
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
(Emma Lazarus, 1883)
All of us in the U.S.A., except for the Native Americans and the Mexican Americans who lived in the Southwest before we took it over, are descendants of aliens in this land. We came from other countries to escape tyranny.
‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:33-34 NKJV
How hospitable were the Christians who displaced the natives here? How hospitable are we to those who come here now to escape tyranny? We as Christians are called to "love one another."
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Please join me this week in praying for the strangers that we have opportunities to serve. Pray that the Lord will guide us and that the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do His will in being hospitable. Pray for an open and loving heart so that we can show and spread the light within us to everyone we meet.
