November 6: Luke 14:12-14
Key Verse: Luke 14:12
Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
Devotion:
One of the things we often look for in life is what we can get in return for doing something. Our whole work ethic is based around this: you work for a known goal to get paid a certain amount. But that is not what is being talked about here, instead we are talking about giving things and not expecting anything in return.
Now we could give to the people around us, and I find myself doing this a lot. But when we do those people more often than not will do something in return for you. So Jesus was encouraging us to do things for people whom we know do not have the means to pay us back in kind. I agree the world would be a better place if we did all do things for each other even if they did things in return for us…
But Jesus wants us to go further than that and to never expect anything in return for the things we do. I learned this attitude from a very dear friend of mine who turned us around and went back to a local sandwich shop to buy a meal and drink for someone on the side of the road who had no clear means of paying him back. That act made me refocus on how I did things from that moment on.
Jesus came to do things for us knowing full well we did not have the means to pay Him back for what He did. The only thing He asks is that we love Him and those around us. Don’t be a giver because you know you’ll receive!
Points to Ponder:
What do you expect for the thing you do?
Will you try to do something for someone who cannot hope to pay you back?