THINK ABOUT IT 3/28/11

Note: This is the latest post on the Pastor’s blog. For others go to our website.

Few people today understand the value of hospitality. To most people it sounds antiquated in our modern society. The fact of the matter is that it is not only needed, it is commanded by God. That makes it of great importance. But we need to understand what it is.

Hospitality is more than “puttin-on-the-dog” for a few special friends, or killing time with your family. As one person said,” Hospitality is much more than exotic menus, elegant table settings and decorations, and fancy entertainment. It is sharing what you have and who you are in Jesus with the people God brings your way.” So, is that what you’re doing?

Although hospitality is the duty of every Christian, very few put it into practice. Those who do think about it usually do so from the receiving end, rather the giving end. In other words, they enjoy others being kind to them, but they have no concern about doing the same for others. In their mad-dash for fleshly gratification they never give any serious thought to helping others. Thankfully there are a few exceptions, and they make a big difference!

We have one family in the church that shows hospitality on a regular basis. It is common for them to invite church guest out to dinner or into their home for a meal. They also volunteer to provide lodging for preachers and others in need of a room. These folks are not retired–they have a busy schedule, much more so than many, but they always find some way to show hospitality. They are determined to be a blessing and they are.

I have often wondered what might happen if every member of the church did what they do. I think we would be amazed, and in need of more space! I’ve often said, “People aren’t just looking for a friendly church, they are looking for friends.” They might attend a lot of churches, but they attach themselves to the church where they make a connection.

Like it or not, things are not like they used to be. There was a time when good preaching and great music would grow a church, but that’s not the case today. Today you could have the Temple choir providing the music and the apostle Paul preaching, and most people still would not come. However, when they connect with members of the congregation they are there to stay. A team of wild horses couldn’t tear them away. They want and need friends. When they find them they get involved.

If every family did what this one family does I’m convinced that our church would grow at a rate never imagined. Even if it didn’t, we are still commanded to do it. If you’ve lost the thrill and excitment of being a member of the Lord’s church, force yourself out of your comfort zone, put the needs of others ahead of your own, and be a friend to someone in need. Then watch what God does! Think about it.

I’ve been “Out of pocket” the last few days –no Morning Manna, etc., but it was for a good reason. Yesterday Bev and I celebrated our 51st anniversary. As I told her, I am more proud of that than anything I (We) have ever achieved. All of the trophies, news paper clippings, etc. etc. from the past are totally meaningless in comparsion to this. This is tops on my list.

Notice that I used the word “achieved”–I did so for a reason. Lasting marriages don’t just happen. They are the result of hard work. A lasting marriage takes committment from both the husband and the wife. I could write a book on that, not as an expert, but from the stand point of experience. Regardless of how wonderful your spouse is it takes nothing short of a miracle for a marriage to last half a century. It takes the grace of God!

As I look back over the years I think of the many difficulties we encountered, and of the many wonderful blessings we experienced, and of the many great things God has done. Without Him we had no chance of making it.

But as grateful as I am toward God, I am also very thankful for Bev. God worked the miracles, but she allowed Him to work in our lives so as to make our marriage last. If you only knew!No one, not even our eight children, has any idea what she has been through. I am so glad that she has put up with all my faults and failures for all these years. No man could ever hope for anything more! I love her today more than ever. She has stood with me through thick and thin. She has forgiven me when I couldn’t forgive myself, and she has helped me when I couldn’t help myself. She is my biggest helper, my best friend, and my greatest earthly treasure. No man, no pastor, could ever hope for a better wife than she has been to me. So, when you think–“Wow! 51 years. That’s amazing”. She deserves all the credit. Without her love, forgiveness, hard work, and prayers it could have never happened. 51 years–THINK ABOUT IT!

And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.–2 Samuel 7:1-2

Throughout the years I’ve observed that God generally gets the leftovers. If you’ve read Malachi you know that this isn’t a new problem. Giving God less than He demands and deserves has been the history of man. Although the goodness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and the grace of God provides our every need (Phil. 4:19) we tend to give Him the garbage of our lives, or at least less than our best. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords we treat Him like a bum on the street. For many, their only interest in God is what He can give them. They have no concern about what they should give Him–unless it gets them a lot of attention.

For years and years I’ve seen it happen. It is especially evident when people unload the junk from their garage on the church as a donation. They then have the gall to call it a “love offering”! Really? They can’t sell it and don’t want to use it so they “give” it to the church–everything from three-legged chairs to mimograph machines. Well–you get the picture. How much love does it take to give something that is of no value or use to you?

Part of the problem is that we are much richer and less deserving than we think. If we think we are poor we tend to feel justified in not giving much. The fact of the matter is that we are rich and have no excuse to not give. In one poll, Americans who had a net worth of over one million dollars didn’t consider themselves to be rich! On the other side of the coin, most Americans believe that you must have at least one million dollars to be rich. I like what one researcher did. To show that nearly all Americans are rich he made a list of things wherein he compared our lives to those in other places around the world. Here’s what he said:

1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blankets and pads for beds.
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.
5. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.
6. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.

Now, with all this in mind, listen to what Dr. Paul Chappell writes by way of application:

The above list seems drastic to us, but when we consider that most of the world’s population lives in such conditions, we can easily see how we have truly been blessed by God. But God has not blessed us so we can simply enjoy such comforts. He desires that we would use our blessings to be a blessing.

David was sitting in a coveted place. He was king of Israel, respected by neighboring countries, and was enjoying a time of rest from God. Yet despite his numerous blessings, he realized something wasn’t quite right. He called Nathan, the prophet, and asked a poignant question, “See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.”

David was enjoying a cedar palace (cedar was considered a wood of royalty and was expensive), the Lord’s dwelling place was in an Ark of lesser comfort. He saw the need of a new dwelling place and sought counsel on how to provide it.

While you may not consider yourself wealthy or financially comfortable, God has blessed you financially. When you consider how little most of the world owns, you should thank God for what He’s given you. But don’t stop at thanking God. Ask Him how He would have you use your prosperity to help His work, help others, and further the Gospel.

Prayerfully seek God’s counsel in how you can use the blessings He’s given you. Take time to evaluate what you have and what you can give. Even if you don’t have much, God desires to stretch your faith and bless you even more as you open-handedly give to others of what you have.

Those observations and challenges are worthy of our consideration. It should affect every area of our life–not just what we give at church. Some people are fairly generous in what they give to the church, and thank God for that, but they never give to any other cause. It makes you wonder if the only reason they give to the church is because they know that somebody else will know and they will get some notoriety from it. Our concern for others should not be limited to one day a week. We are on call 24/7.

I can remember many times wondering how my family would make it financially. There were times when our needs exceeded what the church could or would give and it failed to provide our needs–but God never failed! Again and again He used people who gave anonymously to support us. Many times when we were scraping the bottom of the barrel and some dear saint would send exactly what we needed. Many times it came by way of a handshake with some money neatly folded up so nobody else could see. No one else had a clue as to what they were doing and that’s the way they wanted it. Their giving was not to be seen of man, but to meet the need of another. There was no praise from man (except from me), but great is their reward in heaven. I can’t talk about this without thinking about Bro. Dennis Maxey, one of the dearest friends I’ve ever had. Since he is in heaven now I can speak openly about this. Unknown to anyone else, he often saved the day for us (and others) by helping in ways that others never knew about. That’s the way he wanted it. He was more concerned about helping people than he was about calling attention to himself. You never forget people like that! Not only do I thank God for people like that, I want to be like that. Their example inspires me to become a better person. I pray that God will help me to be an inspiration to others, as others have been to me. Hopefully you feel the same. Think about it!