Values 13-15
13. Hospitality
God calls us to have open homes and open lives, with healthy boundaries, of course. But hospitality is key to living an open life: welcoming people into our homes and sharing our table with them, even the people that others wouldn’t invite. As we do this, we share in the story of the great banquet that Jesus told; the banquet to which all are invited.
“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”
Questions
- Who is invited to your parties?
- How could your community include the people who are often left out?
14. Generosity
The Bible tells us that all good gifts come from God and that there is no lack in the resources he has at his fingertips. God is also hugely generous to us, giving us, through Jesus, what we can’t earn. That is our salvation. So, when we are generous to others with our time, our talents and our treasures, we are joining in with God’s generosity to his world.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”
Questions
- How has God freely given to you and your community?
- What do you think your community could freely give to your neighbourhood?
15. What’s in your hands?
It’s easy to look at someone else’s situation and think, if only. But we need to be careful not to lose sight of what God has already provided for us. We need to look thankfully in the box of what we do have, rather than dwelling on the box of what we don’t have. When we faithfully use what God has already put in our hands, it allows God to move in a way that grumbling doesn’t elicit.
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ “
Questions
- Do you find yourself comparing yourself or your community to others?
- What are the things you have right now that God is calling you to use to bless your community?
