Daily Devotional: Day 21
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2, NIV).
When we hear of angels, we often think of them being in heaven. That’s correct, but it’s also true that angels are all around us. You’ve probably run into a few of them and didn’t recognize them: That man with a backpack trying to cross the street, hoping you would stop your car and make way; that woman at the gas station who asked you for change. As a child of God, never take anyone you meet for granted. Always assume that everyone you meet is important. It’s easier to be kind toward people we know: relatives, friends, fellow church members, co-workers and classmates. But what about strangers, the people we meet for the first time – on the train, at church, on the bus, at the mall, on the streets – those who just show up in our lives, who often look desperate or lost?
Today’s Scripture tells us to show hospitality to strangers, for we could be entertaining an angel of God. The Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia. It literally means love toward a stranger. The Bible isn’t asking us to show hospitality to people we already know; it takes for granted we’ll do that. What it’s urging us to do is to take a step further and open our hearts and resources to the stranger who feels lost, ignored, isolated, marginalized, unaccounted for, forgotten, and helpless. You’re God’s child. This makes you God’s point of contact on earth for people to experience his love. Moreover, the Father has poured his love into your heart (Read Romans 5:5). This means whoever God can love, you, too, can love. Next time you meet a stranger-angel, it’s your chance to let God’s love manifest through you. Make your Father proud.
Confess:
I’m no ordinary person. God has poured his love into my heart. Angels of God are around me. In the Name of Jesus, I can and I will manifest the love of God toward all who come my way. Amen.
For further study: Matthew 25:31-45
Higher-Self Realities 