Give some thought to this verse and the verses below. Meditate.
A
friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.
Luke 11:6
Sorry, friend…I have no food for you. Oh
my…no food in the house. I always have something on hand in the freezer or
pantry shelf…but it may take a while to prepare. At the time that Jesus spoke
this parable they didn’t have canned foods or refrigeration—so except for dried
foods or making foods from scratch which both take a while to prepare—this
fellow may literally have had nothing to serve his friend who arrived in the
middle of the night for a visit. You would think that the host would have known
his friend was coming and been prepared, but no cell phones then…and that
donkey may have traveled faster than expected. I don’t think they had speed
limits on their dusty paths.
What would you do if you had friends come
to visit and you didn’t have food prepared to serve them? It is wintery and
cold here now—good soup weather. Do you have some soup on hand in your freezer
or even some canned soup? Maybe you’d head for the closest Denny’s restaurant
or go to your neighbor and ask for some food?
Do you have spiritual food ready for your
friends and family? What verse or scripture passage would your “serve” or share
that could encourage them? We should be prepared with at least bread or cheese
and crackers to serve our guests—no matter when they arrive. Just the same…we
need to be prepared…be ready. I’m not a preacher, but I consider this a good
family verse…
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether
the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your
people with good teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2
Peter goes beyond just telling us just to
be ready with God’s word…but how to do it.
Now, who will want to harm you if you are
eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will
reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you
must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your
Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle
and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against
you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you
belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is
what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 1 Peter 3:13-17
So—get some food ready. Maybe have some
bread, fruit and veggies on hand so that you can sit down with your friends and
share something from your fridge and your faith.
Prayer
~ Lord…We will be glad and rejoice, and give You honor. When the time comes for
the wedding feast of the Lamb, and for Your bride, the church will be prepared.
Revelation 19:7. We know that when it comes time for the wedding feast You
won’t have to go to neighbors begging for food to feed Your guests. You are
always prepared—the source of all good foods.
Daily
Bible Reading: Matthew 25; Mark 14
© 2019 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Follow And Like "Banquet With
The King" on Facebook. 👍
No comments:
Post a Comment