JESUS SPEAKING
“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me, receives the one who sent me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Mathew 10: 40-42.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
In the culture of Jesus’ day, long distance communication was accomplished by way of messenger. An emissary would often deliver a message from one king to another. Mistreating the king’s messenger was equivalent to mistreating the king himself. Therefore, most were treated as if they were the king; they were fed fine cuisine, pampered, celebrated, and offered gifts. Those who loved the messenger loved the king; those who hated the messenger also despised his master. The emissary then returned home and reported his experience to His Lord. How he had been treated would dictate the health of any future relations.
I worked for many years in outside sales. My job entailed establishing new relations with other retailers. On one occasion I walked in to another person’s establishment and began to speak with the secretary. The owner overheard the conversation and became brash with me. He told me angrily that he wasn’t interested; apparently some years earlier one of his customers had been taken away by a sales person at our company. I was treated poorly; because of his hatred for my company.
Those who reject and hate Jesus Christ hate God himself. Those who reject a Christian, a preacher, a pastor, or a priest without cause have rejected Christ. Those who despise the church hate the savior who has founded it. We must all respect and care for God’s children. May we always accept, cherish, and honor His divine messengers. For our treatment of other believers is an indication of our love for God Himself.
“Lord Heavenly Father, may we recognize and reach out to those who come in Your name. May we love Your emissary’s and cherish Your children. May we open our homes, our hearts, and our lives to those who worship You. May we treat them as we would treat You; may we continue to honor and celebrate our brothers and sisters in Christ. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 