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Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host,“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” I think often times in our society we try to pay people back things for the things that they have done for us. Sometimes a verbal or written "Thank You" is enough, and a grateful heart. I once was given 2 weeks paid leave to use for sick time at work by one of my dad's friends. I did not have enough time for my medical leave, and you were allowed to transfer your own personal/sick time to others. I was so grateful for his generosity that my dad and I took gift cards over to him to thank him. He was not as happy to receive them as we thought, as he told me I was robbing him of his blessing by giving him his reward down here. He did take them, and was not mad at me, but that has always stood out to me. This verse reminded me that sometimes we just need to say thank you, and praise God for all the many blessings in our life that we can never repay....the biggest one being our salvation/forgiveness of sins! Also, for application of God's Word....any ideas as to where to find poor, crippled, lame, and blind random strangers to invite/would want to come to a banquet/dinner? James 1:22 says...But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. I'm always challenged to "do" when I hear instructions given in the Bible. Genesis 25:17-18 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them. I knew it was prophesied that Ishmael would live in hostility. Genesis 16:12 "He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." I guess it makes sense that the hostility was passed down to his descendants cause children are often products of their environment, but they don't have to be. You sometimes see people break free from all kinds of family cycles...abuse, alcoholism, poverty, etc. Deuteronomy 5:9 ...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity (sins) of the fathers on the children, and on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. My understanding of this is that the sins of the fathers are only poured out on to the subsequent generations that hate God. Hating God is what gives the punishment, not the fathers sins. So for example if Ishmael's descendents had broken away from his sinful ways, then they wouldn't have been hostile and suffered the consequences of hating God.
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Daily Reading 18 If you prefer, you can look up the following verses in your own Bible, of by whatever means and in whatever version you choose. Luke 14:1-24 Genesis 25 Psalm 18 Audio 4:36 Audio 4:18 Audio 5:47 The above addresses are linked to Bible Gateway. That is an easy way to read (or listen to) the Bible verses, and choose your version. Personally, I prefer written, that way I can go at my own pace, on think about it, before moving on. Nothing wrong with doing either or both. The Bible says faith comes by hearing. See the picture below to get an idea of what to expect if you follow the above links. Thank you Lord for making the your word so accessible for us in these times. Amen
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- jesus at pharisees house
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