Welcoming Outsiders (Leviticus 19:33; John 15:14) (Discipleship)

Christ commands us to love others as He loved us. And this love includes the foreigner, the outsider. We all have been on the outs at times and we all need the love of others to help us know that we are included. The Superbowl commercials often try to tug at our heartstrings if not our pocketbook. But there was one yesterday that made me cry. Did any do this for you? it was the one about the girl who had to move from their home into a new neighborhood. She was sad. And the welcome the family received in the new town was not pleasant. Until problems arose. A lost dog. A storm. A limb broke off a tree. Now problems bring people together. The ad agency that created the commercial knows something about how vulnerable we are when we have to move (like into a nursing home even). We need to feel the love of those around us to help us relax and know that someone cares for us and we can feel their compassion. I wept when I saw this partly because when I was 8 years old, we had to move and I hated it. I still feel that inner sadness at times about being a foreigner in the second grade at our local school. Can you imagine how many people who live near you that need to know they are loved? God has placed you in your neighborhood to be His minister of love. He will lead you. He will bless you. Just so you know, today we are having our first home Bible study meeting for people who live on our street. If God can move us to love, I’m sure He can move you.