Seat of Honor

Have you ever noticed that serving the Lord and sharing food just seem to go hand-in-hand? I recently returned from Southeast Asia, where I spent time with a good friend of mine. For about 10 days, I endured eating spicy food with my friend!

I came up with a great idea to cook a great big Southern breakfast for my dear friends in this part of the world. I cooked biscuits, bacon, hash browns and scrambled eggs with real butter. I was so nervous when everyone sat around the table. They were gracious and kind as they ate a typical Southern breakfast.

A bond just seems to develop when people share a meal together, even when you end up eating bacon with a spoon and putting ketchup on it! New relationships were begun that are sure to last for years to come because the friendships center on a common love for the Lord.

Showing hospitality to friends and family often takes little effort. Invitations are exchanged with meals and fellowship enjoyed by all. Most of us wouldn’t even consider inviting a stranger to our home to dine with our family. Jesus’ perspective on this is a bit different as we read in Luke 14:13-14:

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Dining at the home of a Pharisee, Jesus observed how the guests were selecting places of honor at the banquet table. If you always strive to be the center of attention and to advance your position in life, you will likely miss the greatest banquet feast of all times with our Savior. However, if you live humbly before the Lord, always placing other people’s needs ahead of your own, you will be rewarded with a seat of honor when Jesus returns for His children.

Category: Friends