Luke 14-7.19.22

Scripture

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.”

Observation

Jesus encourages His listeners to give to others (time, talent, finances, love) without expecting repayment.

Understanding

So much of human interaction is transactional, even when we don’t realize it. I buy you lunch this time, but it is kind of an unspoken expectation that the next time you might pay. I do you a favor, but I expect you to be available to help when I need a favor. I give you love and respect with the expectation that I will get love and respect in return. Jesus asks us to give – with no expectations. He asks, what good does it do for the kingdom if we give and expect something in return?

I think in order to do this, we have to ask God to give us His heart to love others like He does. We have to ask Him to help change our mindset from me first to others first. On our website we have a list of our core values – what we stand for at Desert Streams. One of them is: People are our Heart – we care more about each person than what they bring to the table. That’s what I want to do.

Life Application

I’m embarrassed to say that last week, when a work colleague told me they were retiring, my first thought wasn’t, “Congratulations - I’m happy for you!” My first thought was, “Ooh, I’m going to apply for that job.” Of course I didn’t say it out loud, but it’s an indication of my heart. That’s not the person I want to be.

God, thank you for forgiving me when I fail. Thank you for continuing to work on me. Please give me a heart to love others like You do. Teach me to put others first.

-Debbie Dunn