No Payment Necessary

Luke 14:12-14 - On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or you relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Thoughts: People have not really changed much in the last 2,000 years. We often tend to be social climbers. I have often caught myself looking to invite someone over and it is most often that my mind turns to those I see as successful or admirable. How often do we play the part of the Pharisee? Probably, far too often. 

Jesus has been nudging me for years on this one, though. I am convicted of the fact that we need to reach out to those who may seem ‘below’ us socially or economically. They are no less important because we are all created in the image of God, but we living in this world inadvertently put people into groups or classes. We need to reach out to those who are hurting. Someone who is not ill does not need a doctor. Jesus consistently reached out to those who were shunned and looked down upon by the world. He had a special affection those in this world who are oppressed.

Suddenly, I see pain, suffering, and despair in many people I come in contact with. These are the people that I am to reach out to. These are people that we are to reach out to. I try to be in tune with the Holy Spirit now when I meet people. We are meant to be social creatures. We need to be active and interactive with those around us. 

On Monday night we were talking about agape love. Love that does not seek repayment. The kind of love we can only have as a gift from God. It is only through Him that we can put aside our selfish selves and truly love as Christ loved. How can we do this though? It is so foreign to us. Try practicing the presence of God. Let Jesus be a part of every minute of your life. 

This is my challenge this lent. To be generous as our Lord is generous.