In studying to teach the Sunday school lesson from Luke 14 for tomorrow, I was reminded how much I lack in the areas of compassion, humility, and hospitality. I am so busy doing the things I like and want to do that I often don't even see the needs of others around me. Jesus responded in compassion to the needy anytime and anywhere. The chance of damaging his reputation did not prevent him from responding to the needs around Him.
One of the first days of this year I read somewhere about a person who makes an effort to do at least three kind deeds per month. I thought that is a great idea and decided to make that my goal for 2020. Everything we do should be with kindness, but I am going to try do three special or random deeds of kindness each month. Keeping that in mind might help make me more aware of the opportunities I have instead of being so blind. I did the third one for January today. Now I'm thinking about what I can do in February.
In one part of the lesson, Jesus said we should not invite only our friends and relatives to our homes. We should invite the "poor, maimed, halt, and blind" who cannot return the favor. At first glance, that hits a low blow to our tradition of having our friends for Sunday dinner. When have you filled your table with the "poor, maimed, halt, and blind"? I came to the conclusion that to do this does not necessarily mean they have to be physically seated at our dining room table. If you sponsor a family who gets a food parcel each month from CAM, they are eating from your table. You won't even know each other and they can never repay you. The point Jesus was trying to make is that we should not give to receive. Give to those who cannot repay you and you will get a reward that will last for eternity.
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