Are you still following as I blog along with the She Reads Truth Hospitality study?
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
– 1 John 4:11-12, NLT
Text: Luke 24:13-35, John 15:1-17
How profound! The author states,”It was these verses from 1 John chapter 4 that first challenged her to live with the conviction that people are never interruptions but divine appointments to show and express God’s love. This is the ultimate act of being hospitable—to welcome and walk with others in love.”
As we walk with others in love, we certainly run the risk of being hurt, of experiencing loss, of being devastated. We might even ask God: Is love worth it? Jesus answered that for us in the scriptures, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
– Mark 12:29-31, NLT
God first commands us to love and abide in Him. As we walk hand in hand with God, we are able to walk with others by:
Seeing them with unfiltered eyes.
Slowing down to listen, pray and encourage.
Forgiving when forgiveness transcends understanding.
Loving without condition.
This kind of hospitality is only possible in Jesus.
Being with Jesus changes us. He is the reason we love. He is the reason we welcome others. When we abide in the Lord, He loves us and we can then love. He teaches us, and we learn and pass it on.
Because the Savior says to us, “Walk with me,” we can walk with others.
Pray that you will have the eyes to see who God puts in your path to love today.