Hebrews 13:1-3

Good Morning,

Okay, first, something personal. In my retirement now and with the volunteer work I've been doing, this "daily" message is sort of hit and miss, so to speak. Honestly, I just don't feel the Lord pushing and nudging as He once did to send something out every day now. Maybe the more than 12 or 13 years that I obeyed the calling He placed on me was enough for Him. I still check each day to see if there's something God wants me to send along. But it appears that He's taking it easy on me in this area of my life and "nudging" only when He feels it necessary. I know I should have said something to everyone along these lines before, but, well, I guess that I sort of didn't want this season of my life to be done with. God knows that, as well, I'm sure and that's why He still has me send something along once in a while. Thank you all for your understanding. I'll continue to be obedient in this ministry as God calls me to be. Now, on to what He's given me today...

Hebrews 13:1-3 (New International Version)
Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

This crossed my desk a few days ago and when I read it again this morning it was more meaningful to me than it was then. By the grace of God, He shows us what He wants us to see exactly WHEN He wants us to see it.

These few, short verses tell us something that we all OUGHT to be doing as a part of whatever small group, home group, cell church, or home ministry we need to be committed to in our service to God. Sometimes we get "involved" in some home type ministry and don't DO very much in that context. We read Scripture and discuss it (ALWAYS a good idea!), we pray for each other and the needs we know about as we should, we may sing songs and worship to the Lord, and we fellowship, as is needed for our spiritual health. However, it has been made clear to me today that these activities, no matter how wonderful and necessary they are, well, they aren't ALL we should do as a part of the small group to which we belong.

You see, I firmly believe that God wants us to DO things much along the lines of what we read in today's verses. Yes, love one another, of course. But then, read on... Entertain strangers in whatever guise that might take on, and it will be totally different for every group and even different from day to day within that group. Some kind of prison ministry or something where we can reach out to those who are probably MOST in need of hearing God's plan of salvation and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. And, the last...but certainly not least...of what we read today, take up for people mistreated in any way that we see and know about.

Do you belong to a small group of some kind? If not, you should be, we ALL should be. If we do belong, and WHEN we do belong, we must remember that there is much, much more in a small group than what many of us are experiencing now. We have to remember that we have work we need to be doing as an integral part of ANY group of believers who gather for any other reason.

Let's keep this at the forefront of our minds as we go on from this day and as we join or start a small group of Christian believers. Let's not forget that we need to DO...not just talk about...for the Lord.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David