Daily Devotional from Upper Room

The Door of Hospitality
Read Matthew 25:31-46
These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
-Revelation 3:7 (NRSV)

FOR many years I worked in a large city. During my lunch breaks, I often would take walks through the surrounding streets. My walks took me past an empty building that had once been a manufacturing plant. On one side of the building was a locked, rusting metal door. Above the door was a sign that read: "this door open only during times of hiring." Eventually the door was removed and the entrance sealed up with bricks. For years the sign beckoned job seekers to a door that no longer existed.
I was reminded of that sealed door when my wife and I joined other members of our church in a ministry of hospitality for the homeless. The complexities, joys, and possibilities of hospitality require intentional acts of care for the door of hospitality to open. We are learning that hospitality requires the force of the gospel to become a way of life, an expression of God's love for those in need. (See Matt. 25:31-46.) By God's grace we will grow more eager to open the door of hospitality to a stranger.
--Aaron Pulhamus (Maryland, U.S.A.)

A Prayer
Gracious God, help us to see beyond the fears that keep us from opening the door to a stranger. Grant us the courage to be intentional in making space for those in need. Amen.
Where can you open a door of hospitality for someone in need?

basics

In our Sunday evening "Back to the Basics" class, we have been talking about the basic beliefs of Christians by reading a definition of a term or phrase, reading some related scriptures, and discussing the concept in relation to those scriptures. One of my fellow Bible students asked how long the class was going to last. At first I wasn't sure, then it came to me. This study lasts forever. We take our basic beliefs, interpret them in light of scripture, and then work to accomplish what we have learned. This is a neverending process. Each circle through the process brings us new insight and spiritual growth--deepening our understanding and commitment to God in Christ Jesus.

I hope you will engage this simple task of spiritual growth by joining an existing growth group or starting a new one. There's always so much more to learn.
plou