The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “WELCOMING STRANGERS” for Wednesday, 3 August 2016 with Scripture: Leviticus 19:32 “‘Stand up in the presence of a person with gray hair, show respect for the old; you are to fear your God; I am Adonai.(RY: vi, LY: iv) 33 “‘If a foreigner stays with you in your land, do not do him wrong. 34 Rather, treat the foreigner staying with you like the native-born among you — you are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.
35 “‘Don’t be dishonest when measuring length, weight or capacity. 36 Rather, use an honest balance-scale, honest weights, an honest bushel dry-measure and an honest gallon liquid-measure; I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Observe all my regulations and rulings, and do them; I am Adonai.’”
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Walking down the street in my hometown, I see many recent arrivals to the United Kingdom. They do not speak our language well; they have their own ways and customs. Many local people say, “Why are these people here? Why can’t they stay in their own countries?”
My friend, once a missionary in a country where it is illegal to preach the gospel, suggested that we view their presence among us as a God-given opportunity to befriend new people and lead them to faith in Christ.
The people of Israel were commanded to treat the stranger in their midst as one born among them. Do we? Jesus, as a young child, was a refugee in Egypt. Would we have welcomed his family?
Our church started a weekly English language class some years ago, and many people continue to attend and form connections. New people come to church events, and some are coming to faith in Christ. When we obey the Lord, we can accept the stranger as we would like to be accepted.
Read more from the author, here.
"Waiting on God"
Do my prayers actually achieve anything? Oh yes they do!
My husband, Alan, and I are retired and want to be available to serve God in our local church. We help where we can, but days of mission and youth work are behind us now. So, what can we do to be most effective? Then we remembered...
Years ago, in our hometown, we were part of a struggling small church on a new housing estate. We had no great leader or teaching ministry, but tried hard to reach out to the people around – and became worn out and, to tell the truth, empty and drained. So we decided as a small church to stop running around trying to build up something ourselves, gave up most of our outreach efforts, and determined to meet and pray every day until God came and changed us all.
We all had busy lives – jobs, children, responsibilities – but every day those who could met for an hour or so to pray – occasionally late at night in someone’s home. Months went by. Christian friends came, saying, “Something’s happening here. Can we join you?”
“Nothing’s happening, but we’re praying. Join us to pray if you like,” we said. Some did and the group grew. God began to move among us by the Holy Spirit, and much blessing followed. Lives were changed, most of us were never the same again, and God moved us out into our community.
So, how about now? Isn’t prayer the most important thing we can do? Then why not do it? Of course we attend the church prayer meeting, but, retired and having the time, we decided to meet most Tuesday and Thursday mornings, just the two of us at home for half an hour or more. We pray specifically for our home city, Liverpool UK, and for all the churches here. Only God can break into our apathy and coldness; only God can open ears to hear the challenge of the gospel and change people’s hearts.
The Apostle Peter says to Christians, “You are a royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV) What a privilege we have to intercede for our families and communities!
“Ask...seek...knock,” says our Lord Jesus. We will receive and find and doors will open (Luke 11:9-10).
We may find praying a discipline at first. We sit before God, perhaps reading a psalm or singing a hymn, sometimes standing, or walking about lifting up our hearts. “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”. (Isaiah 40:31) God doesn’t keep us waiting when we set aside time to enjoy God's presence.
Postscript
The small church group mentioned above was formed to have fellowship and teach Sunday School to the families of returning soldiers and their families after WWII. They managed to erect a temporary building on land waiting for development, and one day were told to vacate the plot. The Town Council had refused to allocate land for a religious building.
Teenagers and children who attended decided to meet for prayer before school every morning, and a Town Councillor spotted them. “Where are all these children going?” he asked and was told they were praying for a plot of land for a Sunday School. So, he brought the matter to the attention of the Council, and land was finally allotted for a church building. You don’t have to be a great person to be heard by God. My husband was one of those children.[Marion Turnbull]
The Author: Marion Turnbull (England)Thought for the Day: Whom will I welcome in Christ’s name today?
Prayer: Dear Lord, open our hearts to welcome the strangers among us. Amen.
Prayer focus: IMMIGRANTS IN MY COMMUNITY
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