Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Sidewalk Prophets singing their song … Come To The Table … poignantly singing of God’s invitation to all to come to His Table, open to anyone/everyone who are willing to accept His invitation of love/grace.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Leviticus 19:33-34 [NKJV] … 33 ‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
… These commands to God’s enslaved Jews carries over as to how we (I) treat others whom God brings into my life where I can show His love/grace to them.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Leviticus 19:1-9, 33-34 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God’s people, when they were slaves in Egypt, were reminded and admonished to treat sojourners with God’s hospitality, challenging us, of course, to do the same for others with needs who sojourn into our lives.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 25:31-46 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… One day God will sit on His throne and judge us based on how we treated others when the opportunity arose.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-5 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to be like Jesus and be willing to reach out and help others when we have the opportunity/resources.
Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 2:11-12 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… We’re all just travelers in a foreign land, going home to be with Jesus. Therefore, we should treat all fellow travelers with God’s love/grace.
Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [NKJV] … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
… Jesus wants in to share at His table; but we’ve got to answer His knock and open the door on His offer of fellowship.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a personal story to illustrate how Christians must respond with Christlike love/grace when we have the opportunity to share God’s love and providence with others. The ODB author wrote: When my husband and I moved to Seattle to be near his sister, we didn’t know where we would live or work. A local church helped us find a place: a rental house with many bedrooms. We could live in one bedroom, and rent the others to international students. For the next three years, we were strangers welcoming strangers: sharing our home and meals with people from all over the world. We and our housemates also welcomed dozens of international students into our home every Friday night for Bible study.
Well, … fellow Christians, … that story and where God led me today thru the ODB highlight scriptures and into the other reference passages above, really has me convicted this morning.
And then I remembered a new song I heard recently, to which I’ve linked readers above, which has convicted me even more. And my conviction has me in quandary as to whether I open my life to other fellow sojourners in this life to help them by sharing God’s love/grace when they have needs which I might be able to meet.
And Jesus’ words in Matt. 25 and Rev. 3:20 above have pinned me against the wall here today, asking me if I really do enough to help others when I see need with where I might be help, but instead, I balk at the opportunity. Perhaps God is enlisting me to invite others to come to His table to share more of the providence of love/grace He has given me.
I’m dealing with those questions here in my time with God this morning; but I’ll leave it to you to see where you are today as we share God’s table of love in this quiet/safe place.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for bring me to Your table, Lord!
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … May I invite someone to dine at Your table today. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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