July 14, 2021 Devotion

posted by Ty Garvey | Jul 14, 2021

Wednesday, July 14

Read

Job 31:32: “I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone.”


Reflect 

This statement comes at the tail end of Job’s plea of his innocence towards his friends.  The plea lasts for several chapters (26-31) and is full of Job trying to defend himself against the accusations his friends are throwing at him as they all try to make sense of the terrible things that have happened to Job.  Job defends his character by saying that he has never turned away a stranger.  We have grown up in a culture where the word “stranger” is most often associated or followed with the word “danger”.  Now, I’m not saying that concept is unwarranted, and I’m also a big advocate of being careful and not putting ourselves unnecessarily in harm's way.  However, how often have we allowed the fear of the stranger to cause us to close our doors and shut out those who need help? To be hospitable towards the stranger is a great characteristic for us to strive for because it is a marking characteristic of the Christian.  Let us all be able to defend ourselves the way Job is attempting to defend himself here in this passage. Refusing hospitality to no one, and allowing the stranger to feel welcomed by us is one of our defenses against those who may call our character and devotion to Christ into question.


Pray

God, give us hearts full of love for our neighbors as well as for the strangers we meet.