36.4 God Cares For the Lonely

(Psalm 113)

Praise the Lord!

You servants of the Lord, praise his name!
His name will be praised, now and forever.
From the east to the west
praise the name of the Lord
The Lord rules over all nations;
his glory is above the heavens.

There is no like the Lord our God.
He lives in the heights above,
but he bends down to see the heavens and the earth.
He raises the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from their misery
and makes them companions of princes,
the princes of his people.
He honors the childless wife in her home;
he makes her happy by giving he children.

Praise the Lord!

36.3 Help Others, Including the Foreigners

(3 John 2-8)

My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health—as I know you are well in spirit. I was happy when some Christian brothers arrived and told me how faithful you are to the truth—just as you always live in the truth. Nothing makes me happier than to hear that my children live in the truth.

My dear friend, you are so faithful in the work you do for your fellow Christians, even when they are strangers. They have spoken to the church here about your love. Please help them to continue their trip in a way that will please God. For they set out on their trip in the service of Christ without accepting any help from unbelievers. We Christians, then, must help these people, so that we may share in their work for the truth.

36.2 Be Hospitable, Use Your Talents

(1 Peter 4:8-10)

Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins. Open your homes to each other without complaining. Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.

36.1 After Being Mistreated By Them, Joseph Was Hospitable To His Brothers

(Genesis 43:31-34)

After he had washed his face, he came out, and controlling himself, he ordered the meal to be served. Joseph was served at one table and his brothers at another. The Egyptians who were eating there were served separately, because they considered it beneath there dignity to eat with Hebrews. The brothers had been seated at the table, facing Joseph, in the order of their age from the oldest to the youngest. When they saw how they had been seated, they looked at one another in amazement. Food was served five times as much as the rest of them. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk.