Monday, August 21, 2023

Have you been fortunate enough to travel to another country? I personally have never been out of the United States (except for Canada), but my wife has traveled to several countries in Europe. Though she enjoyed the experience, she told me stories of how uncomfortable she felt being in strange places and associating with people who were so different from her. It was definitely outside of her comfort zone.

Associating with strangers isn’t exactly something our society encourages. In fact, we teach our children from a very young age to stay clear of strangers. Yes, this is for their safety, but I believe we carry this warning into adulthood in the way we look at people whom we don’t know, especially if we view them as different. There is a fear of uncertainty in what approaching a stranger might bring, so we just choose to stay clear of them and keep to our own safe little group of people. This is how many people in the world tend to live, myself included.

God, however, calls us into something much different. We see this in the story of Cornelius and Peter. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was a God-fearing man, as was his whole family. One day, an angel appeared to him in a vision calling out his name.

Acts 10:4-8 
⁴ Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! ⁵ Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”

⁷ As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. ⁸ He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

I don’t know about you, but even if an angel appeared to me today and told me to invite someone I didn’t know from a faraway city into my home, I would still have some serious anxiety and doubt.

You will hear the rest of this story in the next few days of the LIO, but the point I want to make today is this: God calls us to seek out the strangers in this world instead of avoiding them. 

How do we do this? He gave us the perfect example in his Son, Jesus, who loved us so much he came to earth to die for our sinful ways. God loved Cornelius, a gentile, so much that he made arrangements to connect him with a strong, devout Jewish leader, Peter. This is the bottom line this week—knowing God’s love for us moves us to love strangers.

I leave you with this thought: The next time you meet someone new or different from you, rather than thinking “stranger-danger,” think, “How can I share God’s love?”

Questions: 
What is your first thought when you encounter someone you don’t know or who is different from you?

What is holding you back from sharing the love of God with strangers?

Next Steps: 
Be sure to read the LIO for the rest of this week to find out how the story of Cornelius and Peter ends.

When you encounter someone you would consider a stranger, remind yourself that God loves them the same as you.

Prayer: 

Day 8 Prayer Focus - For Courage to Authentically Share and Care (2 Timothy 1:7)
Heavenly Father, you have given us the most precious gift of your story. Forgive us for the times we fail to share it with others or ignore the chances to show your love and compassion. Help us set aside anything that would distract us or take away from this great truth: It’s because you first did all of this for us that we now have the privilege to do it for you. When we are united with you, Father, our hearts grow. Give us the courage to believe what you say and then act on it. Amen. 

Series Theme Verse:

1 John 4:10-11
¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.