Hospitable Hearts

 Hospitality; the giving of yourself. 

We just had to travel for my daughter's doctor's appointment and will be again in two weeks. We are able to stay with one of my Aunts, (one of many and any one of them would accomidate us, and have!)

She said she "did nothing special" for our arrival, stay and departure.  Not true! While she didn't feel she had done a great amount of prep, the giving of yourself, the opening your heart and sharing what you have IS special!

My other Aunt who shares the home with her wasn't there, but had made sure her bed and room were ready for us....

📖 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Romans 12:12-13

Hospitality is mentioned with "gifts" in scripture, but is not listed as a "spiritual gift" specifically,  but I believe the reason for that is that we are ALL called to be hospitable; Giving of yourself, your time, your resources to make another feel comfortable, cared for, satisfied, assisted, loved...is something very special. 

📖 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:8-11

We have heard the term "a hospitable environment" conditions which allow for something to sustain and grow. But the opposite, inhospitable; an environment that is harsh.

Hospitality doesn't mean you are a great hostess of big gatherings or that you throw a great party.

Hospitality is your heart being open to the needs of those around you, and allowing God's love to work through you...your hands, feet, ears, heart. Creating an environment that can put another at ease. 

📖 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2

Hospitality is more about our hearts than our work or our busyness. 

🙏🏼Lord, I pray that each of us allows You to work in us to have hospitable hearts so that we can show hospitality to those You bring our way, in what ever form that may take. Thank you Lord for the hospitality that is shown to us. ❤️

Again

 Again, I don't always like to repeat blogs. AND again, this one was intended to be posted Monday. But it is worth reading again. And it was posted on this date 2 years ago!

CoffeeTime With A Dear Friend.     June 19, 2023

Again and Again and Again...

At church yesterday, Father's Day. we sang a Matt Maher song, Run To the Father. 

As we were singing the chorus struck me

I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding
No reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon
My soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father
Again and again

And again and again.    

Songwriters: Cody Jay Carnes / Matt Maher / Ran Matthew Jackson

"Again and again and again and again"

Did you see that?!

The music video shows images of the story of the prodigal son; (If you don't know the story click the link)

Luke 15:11-32

📖 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 

He went home to the Father....he had hit rock bottom, was broken and humbled and made the move toward his father....but when the father saw him coming to him...he ran to him!

A beautiful visual of how when we get off track or turn from God, He is there, wait waiting for us to turn back to Him. in our broken and humble condition. 

The son comes home, dad throws him a grand party...some issues with a less than humble, jealous brother....but son home safe, wiser, story ends.

But see, ours may not end there....we have run to the Father, fallen into grace, basked in His love;

But then life happens. We have disappointment, we have tragedy, we have hurt and pain...and we find ourselves way down the road again, sometimes around the corner or even in the next town!  When we finally stop and fall on our knees we realize we have gotten farther away from our Father than intended...we realize we need to run back to the Father again!

And in my life, again and again!

📖 Surrender your heart to God,
    turn to him in prayer, Job 11:13

"Again and again and again and again" 

Also says to me...He is there always. No matter how many times I wander or stubbornly go MY way....He is waiting for me to turn back, again and again and again and again!

I pray that brings you hope, not discouragement. 

🙏My prayer for you includes Luke 22:32

📖 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 

I pray no matter where you find yourself right now, you

 run to the Father

fall into grace
[be] done with the hiding
No reason to wait
And [your] heart [finds] a surgeon

[your] soul [finds] a friend
 run to the Father
Again and again
And again and again❤️

Listen to this amazing song!

🎵 Run To the Father Matt Maher

Grounding

 Grounding...it seems to be "a thing".  I can't tell you how long it has been around, but theoretically forever, as long as people have walked barefoot on the earth. 

"Grounding, is a practice where your body makes contact with the Earth's surface, like walking barefoot or using grounding devices. The theory is that this contact helps your body connect with the Earth's electrical charge, potentially reducing inflammation and pain."

It has become something in myrealm as some family are trying it.

But, you know me...and my mind!

Grounding is fundamental as a Christian. 

Grounded in our faith, rooted in our relationship 

with Christ.

Jesus told stories, parables, to help His followers

understand the importance of grounding their faith.

📖 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”   Mathew 7:24-27

📖  “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23 (NIV)

 Faith in Christ, the Son of God.

We are to be grounded, established, rooted in Jesus teachings 

📖 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him,  being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. Colossians 2:6-8 (CSB)

Remaining grounded is what gives us strength and hope.

📖   Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions.  But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him— if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.  Colossians 1 HCSB

Spending our time in His word, and in communication with Him everyday will help keep us grounded in our Source, our Foundation. 

🙏🏼

📖 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ❤️ Ephesians 3:14-21 (NKJV)

Communion

 As we took part in the ordinance of communion this past Sunday thoughts occurred to me. Even the word Communion;the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.

We become intimate with our Savior, when we participate in communion.

Which would imply an already eatablished relationship. We believe Who He is and what He has done for us. We have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. 

The word "ingest"came to mind. We are to make Christ a part of us. 

He handed wine and bread to those closest to Him, those He was spending His last hours with. He used it symbolically to try and have them understand what was going to be happening. 

"This is My body broken"

"This is My blood..."

📖 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28

Representations of His sacrifice on the cross for each of them. Now place yourself at that table...representation of His sacrifice for YOU!

It didn't end with His demonstration...He said "take, eat" 

He had already said He was the Bread of Life, 

📖 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

He wanted them to understand He needed to become a part of them. 

We must do the same. And it is far more than being obedient and remembering what He asked us to do "in remembrance of me"

📖 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

We must "consume" all we can of Christ. We must "devour" His word so it flows through as as naturally as our life blood.  It becomes a part of our being. 

We have to have Christ be more than something we know about, He has to be something that becomes a part of us.

We can sit and look at food, tell people about it, read about it, but unless we take it into ourselves and digest it to become part of who we are...it does nothing. 

And, personally, I believe He used what was available. No special properties in bread, or the wine they had then. It was what they had for their passover meal...a traditional celebration all Jewish people recognized every year commemorating their salvation from the Angel of Death that took every first born son in Egypt and their freedom from the chains of slavery.

Don't you find it interesting Jesus used that ceremony to create a new ceremony for us. He asked that this be done "in remembrance of Me"

We are to commemorate, celebrate, our salvation from eternal death. We are to celebrate our freedom from the chains of slavery to sin!

We eat the bread, and drink from the cup as a reminder to ourselves the sacrifice made on our behalf and to be obedient to what He asked us to do. 

He wanted a new tradition to come from what would seem like a tragedy. But I also think He knew we would need a reminder of what has been done for us.

We don't eat once and it lasts us forever.

Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we also need to continue to "feed" our souls if we are to grow and mature. 

Though our salvation is once, we must continue to learn and listen and communicate to grow closer to Him

📖 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13

We don't want to be a "malnurished" Christian, not strong enough to withstand the storms that will come our way. Too weak to help others, too tired to serve. 

📖  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”  John 6:51

🙏🏼 Lord, I pray that we have the desire to consume everything YOU every day, that we feast in Your presence.  Forgive us for allowing ourselves to become malnurished. I thank you for calling us to remember what You have done on our behalf.❤️