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| This lovely graphic is by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings |
S (Scripture) = "As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:10)
O (Observation) = Paul wrote this letter to a group of churches in Galatia, located in the central part of Asia Minor. At the time Paul wrote, the Galatian churches were facing a double threat involving purity of doctrine and purity of conduct. In this letter, according to Scofield, Paul sets forth "the truth of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, and the richness of life available when He rules the Christian whom He indwells." Here in chapter 6, Paul is dealing specifically with the outworking of the new life.
For verse 10, a cross-reference of Acts 10:38 is given, which speaks of how Jesus "went about doing good". And, of course, He is our Example.
So Paul instructs here in Galatians 6:10 that, as we have opportunity, we are to do good to all, but especially to our fellow members of the household of faith, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
A cross-reference for "opportunity" is Proverbs 3:27, a favorite of mine: "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it."
And a cross-reference for "especially unto ... the household of faith" is Romans 12:13, which instructs us we should be "distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality."
A (Application) = God has used this verse in my life many times to rebuke me for being selfish and to remind me of my responsibility to help meet the needs of others. I should take every opportunity to do good unto all -- and especially to my fellow believers. For example, I enjoy extending hospitality to others, even on a spur-of-the-moment basis, and my husband is definitely "given to hospitality". Often there are other ways in which we can do good -- a hospital visit, helping with child care, bringing a meal to a home, even lending a car or other necessity. This verse is a good reminder of why we're to do good to others: as an outworking of our faith in Christ.
P (Prayer) = Lord, I'm so thankful this morning for this reminder to do good to all -- not just to my family and friends, but all. I'm reminded too of how Your Word says You are kind to the unthankful and to the evil (Luke 6:35) and so we are to do good to our enemies also.
Here in Galatians 6:10 we're told to do good especially to others in the household of faith. I pray that You will help me to take advantage of every opportunity to do that, remembering that it's one way I can show the outworking of my faith. Thank You especially that I have an opportunity today to show some hospitality to some dear Christian friends. I thank You in Jesus' name, Amen.
Hope these simple thoughts encouraged you today and sparked your thinking of how you can do good to others in the household of faith!
To all, but especially the household of faith... interesting! Hospitality is a fascinating topic really. Hope that you had a good visit with your friends.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right; hospitality is truly a fascinating topic. I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to hospitality -- check it out if you are interested. (I tried to add a link to it, but Blogger had other ideas.) I have pinned some ideas for showing hospitality, but mostly these are inspiring reads concerning the topic. I liked how you said that Abby and Bill are hospitality experts. One could see that for sure in their hospitality to you and John. A great example to all of us. Christian fellowship is such a blessing, but so many times we just don't make the effort to make it happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, we did have a good visit with our friends. These are folks from Indiana who come out our way to visit family each summer and usually share some ministry at our church -- the husband is a pastor and the rest of the family is musically talented. Last year we invited them over for dinner one evening and we all enjoyed the fellowship so much, we did the same again this year. A lovely time!