Matthew 10:40-42
40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Devotional
What you do matters! When you think of service in the Kingdom of God you may even minimize what you do. ‘O it is nothing, really! This didn’t take any skill!’ However, this passage today reminds us that God is at work, even in the seemingly mundane and practical things of life. Hospitality is one of those things that needs to be done. However, there are many who do it with such grace and aplomb that it can’t help but bring a smile to our faces. The little details are remembered, the behind the scenes preparations are thorough, and when hospitality is provided, it is not the hospitality itself that is the focus, but the relationships that are nurtured as a result of the hospitality. Now that’s Kingdom business! It is when we serve in such a way, or teach, or preach, or care, or love, out of a sense of worship and an awareness of our God, that the simple activity takes on eternal significance.
Paul talks about this in grander theological terms in Romans 6: 12-23, but in no less practical terms for the servant. Terms such as present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification (vs19) and but now you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God (vs22) show a whole different focus to life. We are not seeking the strokes of others because we serve, or accolades for our selfless service – we are serving our great God with joy and passion. It is Him we serve. Yes, what we do matters, regardless of how insignificant it might appear!
Prayer
Father, as we serve this day, may we be reminded that serving others is serving you. Would you infuse into our ordinary acts of service a special sense of your presence so that others may see Jesus in us. Thank you for loving us, living in us, and spilling out of us in our acts of service. Bless this vessel to your service we pray, for we pray this, and do this, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Rev Dr Bruce Allder, Senior Lecturer