Ep. 140 | When Visitors Arrive | Genesis

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Genesis 18:1-8. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

Every one of us eventually reaches a place where we have to decide. Will I trust God even when I can't see where He's leading? That's not a new question. It's one of the oldest questions in the Bible. No one illustrates that journey better than Abraham. Welcome to Forms by the Word, where we open God's Word not just to study it, but to let it shape our hearts and transform our lives. Sometimes our journey of faith leads through familiar places. Other times it leads into the unknown. There are seasons of joy and seasons of waiting, moments of great faith and moments of painful failure. Genesis 11 through 25 tells the story of an ordinary man called to an extraordinary walk of faith, and in the process helps us discover that God still leads ordinary people, like us, into an extraordinary walk of faith. So whether you're driving, working, exercising, or simply enjoying a quiet moment with the Lord, I invite you to open your heart and let's learn to trust the God who always keeps his promises one step of faith at a time.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Isn't it ironic that today we have more ways to connect with people than ever before, and yet we have less room in our lives for them? Our calendars are full, our schedules are protected, even our houses are private. Well, as followers of Christ, the Bible calls for us to be hospitable. True hospitality goes beyond having friends over for dinner. Biblical hospitality frequently involves interruption of our lives, inconvenience, strangers, generosity, and making room for others. Hospitality says there's room for you here. Well, as we turn the page to Genesis chapter 18, we find Abraham sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day when suddenly he looks up and sees three men standing nearby. Now he doesn't have any text message saying they're coming over, there's no phone call, they don't make a reservation, they just show up. So notice, Abraham's company was unexpected, and his response tells us something about the kind of person he had become. Now it may surprise you to learn that hospitality is a significant and recurring theme in the Bible. Even though the exact English word hospitality or hospitable appears only a handful of times in most translations, mainly in the New Testament, Jesus frequently receives hospitality and also practices it. He commends it. For example, when he feeds the multitudes, hospitality. When he joins men for some post-resurrection meals, hospitality. The early church practiced and shared meals with hospitality extensively. We find it all throughout the book of Acts. In Genesis 18, we learn of Abraham's hospitality, and we find four things that we can learn about being hospitable. Now, I know that's probably not your favorite subject unless that's just your particular gift. In fact, it may even bother you a little bit to think about that. But if we are indeed commanded to be hospitable, to have hospitality for one another, then we need to understand some things about hospitality. I think Abram, or Abraham, now we call him, is our teacher. It starts in verse two, and the first thing we notice is that hospitality notices people. Listen to verse two. It says the Lord appeared to Abram at the oaks of Momre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. He looked up and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, uh-huh, I've got that underlined right now. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground. Before Abram serves, he sees them. Now that's more significant than it initially sounds. Hospitality begins with noticing. We have to be noticing, observing. You see, we can easily become so focused on my schedule and my needs and my problems, my phone or my destination, that we simply don't see the people that God puts in our path. You can't welcome people you never notice. So first thing we see is Abraham notices people. Secondly, we see that hospitality takes the initiative. Again, let's read that. He looked up, verse 2 says, He looked up and saw three men standing there, and when he saw them, what did he do? He ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them. He bowed himself to the ground. And then verse 3 says, And he said, My Lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant. Now that my Lord is not addressed to God, that is addressed to one of the three men. So Abraham doesn't wave from the tent. Hey guys, holler if you need anything. No, he runs to them. And remember, Abraham is 99 years old. This is enthusiastic hospitality. Hospitality doesn't wait to be asked. It doesn't try to serve from afar. It looks for an opportunity to serve and then takes the initiative. The third thing we see is in verses four and five. Hospitality makes room for people. Listen to verses four and five. He says, Let a little water, this is Abraham, let a little water be brought that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves. This is why you passed your servant's way. Later you can continue on. Yes, they replied, do as you have said. Now notice that Abraham rearranges his day around these people. Totally interrupted his day. Now we don't know what he was doing, maybe just resting, but that even still is an interruption. Abraham rearranges the day around them. This really broadens the definition of hospitality, doesn't it? Hospitality isn't primarily about having a nice house. It's about making room in your life for another person. You may be immediately thinking, well, I can't be hospitable. I'm not good at entertaining. My house isn't very nice. I can't cook. I don't have much money. But that's not really what it's all about. Biblical hospitality isn't entertaining. Entertaining often says, look what I prepared. Hospitality says, there's a place for you here. You can practice hospitality at a restaurant, a coffee shop, a ball field, a church lobby, a backyard, a front porch, or even a street corner. Wherever you see someone in need and wherever you can make room for that someone else. Abram says, Let me just bring you a bit of bread. Hold on to that thought. We'll come back to that in just a moment. Fourth, notice that hospitality gives generously. Verses six through eight. It says, So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, Quick, need three measures of fine flour and make bread. There you go, that's the bit of bread. But wait, it doesn't stop. Verse 7. Then Abraham took curds and milk as well as the calf that he had prepared and set them before the men. He served them as they ate under the tree. Now look at that. What happens next is interesting. Abraham says to them, Let me bring you a little bread. And then he prepares a feast. Three seas of fine flour is an enormous amount. Add the choice calf, the curds, the milk, and you have a large meal. Abraham didn't give them the leftovers. He gave them his best. Abraham promised little and provided much. That teaches us about hospitality. You see, hospitality is not merely providing something. Hospitality gives people more than food. It gives them ourselves. It gives of our time. It offers our attention and it comes with our presence. You can serve someone a wonderful meal while staring at your phone and never really offer hospitality. It's more than the food, it's the attention. Now the surprise of the story the ordinary interruption becomes a divine appointment. Abraham welcomed three travelers, but he had no idea what was unfolding. Soon these visitors will return and reaffirm God's promise concerning Isaac. This presents an important truth. You never know what God might do through the people he puts in your path. An interruption in your day may become an opportunity. A stranger in your life may become a friend. A meal may become a ministry. Conversation may become an opportunity to share Christ. That's why hospitality is so important. So let's make some application before we stop today. Several things I'd like to suggest. First, look around. Look around. Who has God placed near you that you haven't really noticed? Second, open something. Open your home, open your table, open up your schedule, your circle of friends, open up your life. Third, take the initiative. Don't just say, you know, we really ought to get together sometime. Put it on the calendar. And finally, fourth, expect God to use it. Not because every stranger is secretly an angel, but because God regularly accomplishes his purposes through ordinary acts of love and generosity. Genesis 18 isn't the first time Abraham has welcomed strangers because hospitality was culturally important. But when you read the whole Bible, hospitality becomes part of the story of the gospel itself. You see, we were the outsiders. We were the ones who were far from God. We were the strangers, and through Christ, God welcomed us in. Ephesians 2 19 says, So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. We welcome others because God welcomed us. The takeaway for today hospitality simply says there's room for you here. You see, God made room for us, so we should make room for others. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this gentle reminder today that our call is to serve others, to be hospitable. Help us to remember that hospitality goes far beyond opening up our house. It's saying to somebody who's strange, someone who interrupts us, someone we don't know, that there's room here for you. God thank you for this reminder in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

Thanks for joining us today on Formed by the Word. As we journey through the life of Abraham, we're learning together what it means to walk by faith and trust God one step at a time. Wherever you are on your own journey today, remember, the same God who called Abraham is still calling, leading, and faithfully keeping his promises to his people. Pastor Eddie would love to hear how God is using these devotions in your life. Your thoughts and comments are always welcome. Until next time, remember, God rarely shows us the whole journey. He simply asks us to trust him with the next step.