ISAIAH 58:6-7

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 

TO PONDER 

Today’s verses end with the statement “not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” which kind of sounds a bit like what we talked about yesterday in; “love your neighbour as yourself”. 

In yesterday’s verses we looked at how Jesus removed a whole classification of people, He removed the ‘neighbour’ (neighbour being anyone who is not you, the ‘other’), in fact He went as far as saying, via a story about a ‘good Samaritan’, even the hated ‘other’ needs to be treated as our very own flesh and blood. We have a saying out at LifeWay Westside; BBQ’s before sermons (and it’s not only because of BBQ Church) or to put it another way, invite people to dinner before inviting them to church. We want to practice no-strings-attached hospitality as a way of life (it’s the ‘sharing’ part of LifeWay’s vision). 

But we do have to remember that hospitality doesn’t end with a BBQ, it doesn’t even start at the BBQ, Hospitality as a way of life begins on the other side of grace, because He first loved us and reached out to show hospitality to us when we were lifeless in the ditch.

PRAYER 

Saviour Jesus, I thank you for pouring out your grace upon me, for you becoming a servant to demonstrate true hospitality, teach me to show and share your grace daily. Amen. 

Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock

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