Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

April 7
Tuesday


WHO'S ON MY
GUEST LIS?

READ:
Luke 14:7-14
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When you give a feast,
invite the poor, the
maimed, the lame, the
blind. And you will be
blessed.
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I love hosting festive dinners. Sometimes I'll say: "Tonia, we haven't had anyone over for dinner in a while. Who do you think we should invite?" We go through our proposed guest list and suggest friends we have never invited or have not invited in a while. And it seems like this list is normally comprised of people who look and sound and live like we do, and who can reciprocate. But if we were to ask Jesus whom we should have over for dinner, He would give us a totally different guest list.

One day a prominent Pharisee invited Jesus into his home, probably for table fellowship, but possibly to watch Him closely so he could trap Him. While there, Jesus healed a man and taught the host a significant lesson: When making out your guest list for a dinner party, you should not be exclusive--inviting friends, relatives, rich neighbors, and those who can pay you back. Instead, you should be inclusive--inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Although such people would not be able to pay the host back, Jesus assured him that he would be blessed and that God would reward him (Luke 14:12-14).

Just as Jesus loves the less fortunate, He invites us to love them by opening up our hearts and homes. __Marvin Williams
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```````````````````The poor and needy everywhere```````````````
``````````````````Are objects of God's love and care,``````````````
```````````````````But they will always know despair``````````````
````````````Unless His love with them we share. __D. De Haan```````
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Opening our hearts and homes
blesses both us and others.

***************Today's Bible Reading __ Luke 14:7-14*************

7 So He told a parable to
those who were invited,
when He noted how they
chose the best places,
saying to them: 8 "When
you are invited by anyone
to a wedding feast, do not
sit down in the best place,
lest one more honorable
than you be invited by him;

9 and he who invited you
and him come and say to
you, 'Give place to this
man,' and then you begin
with shame to take the
lowest place. 10 But when
you are invited, go and sit
down in the lowest place, so
that when he who invited
you comes he may say to
you, 'Friend, go up higher.'
Then you will have glory in
the presence of those who
sit at the table with you.

11 For whoever exalts
himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles
himself will be exalted."

12 Then He also said to
him who invited Him,
"When you give a dinner or
a supper, do not ask your
friends, your brothers, or
relatives, nor rich
neighbors, lest they also
invite you back, and you be
repaid. 13 But when you
give a feast, invite the poor,
the maimed, the lame, the
blind. 14 And you will be
blessed, because they
cannot repay you; for you
shall be repaid at the
resurrection of the just."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Today's Bible reading focuses on one of Jesus' parables. as He sought
to teach eternal principles, Christ often used a parable, "an earthly
story with a heavenly meaning," to capture the attention of His
audience. In this way, He enabled people who were locked into the
thinking of this world to catch the priorities of the heavenly Father
who is not bound by this world's values. __Bill Crowder