21 WELCOME VISITORS F O O T ================================
- H O L D
READING
21 WELCOME VISITORS
PRAY Speak to me today, Lord, that I may speak your word to others.
READ Genesis 18:1-15
THINK What is the main point of this story?
FOCUS One of the marks of a deepening love for God is a growing respect and care for other people, friends and strangers alike. There is a spontaneous response from Abraham to the sight of three strangers on a hot day (2). He welcomed them into his home. Notice that the invitation was whole-hearted (3-5) and the provision generous (6- 8). God’s character is one of selfless generosity, and he wants his people to be like that, too. As we genuinely respect and serve others we can expect to find our relationship with God deepening. Abraham discovered that the Lord God himself had come. The promise of a son for which he had waited so long was about to be fulfilled. One of the most difficult things about faith is patience. When it seems as though nothing is happening, when we are tempted to feel that God has let us down – then is the time to remember what God has done in the past and to believe that he can do it again. But even after God had promised again and again, Sarah was still full of doubts. She listened at the tent door (10). What was Sarah’s reaction to the words she heard (10-12)? There are two lessons here for us: (a) Don’t doubt God’s power. Things may look quite impossible to us – but God sees things differently. (b) Don’t deny your own sin: we may fool others, we may even fool ourselves, but God sees not only what we do but the way we think as well (15). —————————————————————-
PRAY Ask God to grow a generous spirit in your life.