Welcoming the blessing (or being it)
This week's goodness is on Matthew 10:40-42:
These verse seem strange if you read them as if they were new. Welcoming a devout Christian brings a reward. Who else can we say that about? What people group can we say that if we take care of their needs, we will get a reward? And yet Jesus says that about us!
Think of the people who cross your path, and who have done things to bless you. Maybe someone lets you into traffic. Maybe someone shares their tasty chocolates with you. Maybe someone helps you to figure out something you're stuck on. God will bless those people the way he blesses us! It's like we're radioactive with a kind of divine force of blessings.
Part of it applies to us though too. When other people who are disciples of Christ need our help, our blessing towards them translates to God's blessing on us. It's an investment as much as it is a sacrifice. It's not difficult. How difficult is it to get someone a cup of water when they come in thirsty?
When you welcome someone, you take care of their needs. You share your blessing with them. Do you have food? Water? A place to sleep? Internet? If you're welcoming someone, you share whichever of those things the other people need. Otherwise, you make them feel unwelcome. "I'm going to eat this sandwich but you can't have any because I'm hoping you'll go find food elsewhere." It's an act of love.
The counterintuitive thing is that that act of welcome can bring a blessing. We can feel less like we're imposing when someone does a nice thing for us, because God's blessing will be on them. And if we're on the fence about whether to support a missionary or to help a Christian brother or sister in need, the blessing may be enough to put us down on the right side of it.
God is so full of love that his blessing leaks out. We are a blessing to others through him. We should be thankful for that and be happy that everyone wins.
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
These verse seem strange if you read them as if they were new. Welcoming a devout Christian brings a reward. Who else can we say that about? What people group can we say that if we take care of their needs, we will get a reward? And yet Jesus says that about us!
Think of the people who cross your path, and who have done things to bless you. Maybe someone lets you into traffic. Maybe someone shares their tasty chocolates with you. Maybe someone helps you to figure out something you're stuck on. God will bless those people the way he blesses us! It's like we're radioactive with a kind of divine force of blessings.
Part of it applies to us though too. When other people who are disciples of Christ need our help, our blessing towards them translates to God's blessing on us. It's an investment as much as it is a sacrifice. It's not difficult. How difficult is it to get someone a cup of water when they come in thirsty?
When you welcome someone, you take care of their needs. You share your blessing with them. Do you have food? Water? A place to sleep? Internet? If you're welcoming someone, you share whichever of those things the other people need. Otherwise, you make them feel unwelcome. "I'm going to eat this sandwich but you can't have any because I'm hoping you'll go find food elsewhere." It's an act of love.
The counterintuitive thing is that that act of welcome can bring a blessing. We can feel less like we're imposing when someone does a nice thing for us, because God's blessing will be on them. And if we're on the fence about whether to support a missionary or to help a Christian brother or sister in need, the blessing may be enough to put us down on the right side of it.
God is so full of love that his blessing leaks out. We are a blessing to others through him. We should be thankful for that and be happy that everyone wins.
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