Image from agnusday.org
Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/4lMVNfS
View devo: https://bit.ly/3VlICYB
1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-15 NIV)
Happy Happy Happy Day, dear Friend! I pray God's smiling face be upon you, which I know it is - do you? The joy of the Lord is my strength! Is it yours? It can be! Every single word from God's word that you read provides you with a connection, if not the connection, to face the day, make your decisions, and to get that added boost to move forward and upward! These aches and pains will soon leave us; but the great things like joy, the smile of loved ones, the memories of those gone on before us; those cannot and will not be erased!
I love that God saw fit to add a BEHAVE section to His precious word. I know, it's a shame really that we should know and do better, but we don't. I'm the first to admit the mischievousness of my younger years still lingers, invited and otherwise, sometimes getting me into situations I didn't much anticipate. But it hit me that as we read the Bible and follow God's path along it, we have the Old Testament and all that it contains to prepare us for Jesus; boom, we come to the New Testament, and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John say, "Tah dah, hereeeeee's Jesus!" And yes, Come, Lord Jesus! we say. Then Luke says, and here's how we responded in the book of Acts, and the rest of it says, behave! Yes, you read that right! Paul, called of God by Jesus Himself, has to write letters to folks who were NOT behaving! You would think the Here's Jesus part would have made all people say, "I know Jesus loves me and so I will live like Him! But, no; what do we read about in Paul's letters? Stop doing this, don't do that; behave!
And here we are, reading what may be Paul's letter to all the people who are Hebrew. And how does this passage start? "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters." Okay, most brothers and sisters do love each other, but sometimes they don't. And sometimes they fight or argue. Paul continues, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Whoa, you forgot there's a supernatural component to our faith did you? You can't and shouldn't! Some people, Paul says, were so nice to some strangers that they were really being nice to angels!! Think about the "brownie points" those loving souls got on that day. And they did it not for the points, but because it was just a part of their nature to do good, like showing hospitality. What would today's modern Christians be doing? I won't answer that, but will sigh along with you.
This next part will sound like Paul's not only saying behave, but some would say, he's gone to meddlin'. Which is a Texas way of getting into businesses that are not ours. But, if I'm remembering correctly, he's merely reinforcing what Our Lord said in Matthew 25: "Remember those in person as if you were with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." And the list goes on as a summary of all Paul shared in his many letters to believers. Our discipleship is costly, requiring our obedience to God to bless all people.
When someone is forgotten by society, we remember them. When someone is oppressed, we feel their pain as if it were our own. This kind of love is costly—it disrupts our comfortable routines and forces us to care about problems we didn't create and can't easily solve.
The challenge extends to our marriages and relationships: "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure." In a culture that treats commitment as conditional and purity as outdated, following Christ means swimming against the current, choosing faithfulness even when it's difficult.
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" The writer connects contentment directly to God's faithfulness. When we're secure in His unchanging presence, we're free from the anxiety that drives endless accumulation.
This isn't about settling for less or lacking ambition. It's about finding your security in the right place. When you know that the God who owns everything will never abandon you, you can hold earthly possessions lightly. You can be generous because you're not afraid of running out. You can be content because your worth isn't measured by your wealth.
The passage culminates in a beautiful picture of worship: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Real worship isn't confined to Sunday mornings. It's a lifestyle of praise and practical love. It's lips that speak God's goodness and hands that demonstrate it. The same Jesus who receives our songs of praise also delights in our acts of service.
Notice that both praise and generosity are called "sacrifices." They cost us something—our pride, our comfort, our resources. But these are the sacrifices that please God, not because He needs them but because they transform us into people who reflect His character.
Because Jesus never changes, we can live with confidence even in uncertain times. We can love boldly because His love for us never wavers. We can give generously because His provision never fails. We can extend hospitality because His welcome of us is permanent. We can speak truth because His Word endures forever.
This isn't about trying harder to be good Christians. It's about allowing the unchanging nature of Christ to work through our ever-changing lives, creating stability in chaos and hope in uncertainty.
PRAYER: Loving Father, thank You for Jesus, Who remains unchanging, ever loving and ever ready to forgive and to deploy us to do His work. We know there is much work still to be done and we willingly accept, with Your grace and peace to do what we need to do, to reach the world for Jesus. We want to, and with Your help, will behave! We love You, Loving Father; we pray in the Name above all Names, Jesus, our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, choose one specific way to live out the unchanging love of Christ in your changing world. Perhaps it's reaching out to someone who feels forgotten, practicing radical hospitality by inviting someone new into your home, or finding a practical way to support those who are suffering.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
