By Paul Chappell
"And when she was baptized, and her household, she
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into
my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."
Acts 16:15
Early in our years as a married couple, Terrie and I had the
opportunity to drive out to Salton Sea, California, each weekend to preach to a
small group of people who met in one of their homes. The group expanded, and
eventually we planted a church there. The first people we saw saved in that
area were Fred and Alice Riley.
One Sunday morning as I was late coming in for the prayer
meeting before the service, Fred, with a caring heart asked, "Pastor Paul,
how come you're late?" I explained how we lived many miles away and that
we had been delayed a bit that morning. After lunch, Fred approached me,
"Pastor Paul, Alice and I have a nice motorhome that we'd like to bring
down to this house. You could stay here on Saturday night, and you won't have
to drive so much." That couple will probably never know what a blessing that
was to us.
The first to receive Paul's message in Macedonia, Lydia, was
likewise willing to share of her resources. After she trusted Christ, she
immediately offered Paul and his companions her hospitality. She didn't know
everything about the Bible nor was she well versed in Christianity, but she
gave of what she had to help others.
Perhaps the most basic of God's commands is to love your
neighbor. No matter who someone is or what they have, God desires that you
would love them and show that love through giving. God desires that His
children would show His love through being a blessing to those around them.
Who can you be an encourager to by sharing your resources?
Follow Lydia's example of hospitality, and be a blessing to others.
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