TOPIC: VISITORS AND ANGELS
Read Matthew 25:32-46
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, d saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
MEMORISE:
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2)
EXPOSITION
God has different links by which He blesses His people. One of such is hospitality. He connects, visits, communicates and blesses His own people through hospitality. Hospitality is a practical theology that has a strong biblical root (Cr. Matt. 25:33ff).
Though, it can be termed in many ways, the bedrock of hospitality is a loving comfort. The word hospitality can be found in the English Standard Version of the Bible 4 times (Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 5:10; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9). In summary, these verses show that hospitality is both an action and affection, receiving and loving a stranger, the act of giving comfort to the discomfited. It is the act of offering a guest a place to sleep and food to eat.
Many say, “I can give out anything, even my eye, to a stranger, but I am not experiencing the divine blessings from God.” There is still one key that is missing in your kind of hospitality, and that is love. The major key in hospitality is LOVE.
It is very possible for one to offer a guest food to eat and bed to sleep, but if the love is not there, the blessings from the Lord would be missing. Hospitality without love brings frustration and regret. 1 Peter 4:9 says, ‘Be hospitable to one another without grumbling’. If we grumble (complain) while giving food or lodging to someone, we have not truly shown biblical hospitality.
History is replete with how our fathers in faith unknowingly welcomed angels in their house. We also have biblical testimonies of how hospitality has helped in the fulfilment of long-time promises without stress. It is a painful story to tell that, many have one-way or the other offended errand angels who seem like casual visitors.
The right (godly) attitude is needed, if hospitality would bring blessings to your home. It is not too late, learn to give to strangers in love, prepare your heart and home for the Lord’s visit, teach your household simple ways of welcoming visitors, and you will experience and enjoy the blessings of divine visitation.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, grant me grace of giving godly hospitality, even when it is not convenient for me.
2. O Lord, visit our homes and bless us. We are ready to welcome You lavishly.
3. Lord Jesus, we need Your divine visitation in our churches this day; and let us not miss it when You eventually come visiting, anyhow You choose to.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY:
Proverbs 5:13 – 7:17; 2 Corinthians 4:6 – 5:9
Author: C.A.C WORLDWIDE
Remain blessed!
