July 29 – How to Live

July 29 – Hebrews 13:1-8 – How to Live

As the church learned how to live while waiting for Christ’s return, there were several things that needed to be reinforced.

Brotherly love. Now, to be honest, when I was young, my idea of loving my brother was to sit on him or beat him up in some painful way. I never quite comprehended what this meant. Fortunately, we both grew out of that. Sharing love among the community of believers is important to holding each other in strength before the throne of God.

Hospitality is a concept that was very important to the Jews. In the Old Testament community, no one should have ever been hungry or without a place to sleep. As time passed, so did the strength of that tradition. In Genesis 18, the story of Abraham entertaining the Lord and two companions is told. It is at this point that Sarah and Abraham are told they will have a son within the year. We might never know who we help when we open our homes and lives to being hospitable.

Those who are less fortunate than us, prisoners and those mistreated deserve as much care as we would find for ourselves. It is easy to turn a blind eye to a beggar or to ignore those in prison. We are told that we shouldn’t be that person. We should always be generous with our compassion.

Sexual purity, freedom from love of money, contentment with what we have. God has said that He will be with us, He will help us, He will intervene for us. What more could we ask for, but for Him to guide us through our lives.