Listen

“Remain in this house, eating and drinking whatever they set before you, for workers deserve their pay. Don’t move from house to house. Whenever you enter a city and its people welcome you, eat what they set before you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come upon you.’”

Luke 10:7-9

Think

God sends us out without giving us all the details. We serve in places like soup kitchens, backyards, community centers, or even foreign countries. The locale may differ greatly from where we live – more urban and diverse or more agricultural and rural. The people might speak with an accent or converse in another language.

As God sends us out, being brave means we become curious and stay flexible. We enter a new environment willing to learn, so we know how to serve more effectively. Unfamiliar food may be offered to us. Being brave enough to eat together builds community.

It shows appreciation for this hospitality. Trust grows when we embrace rather than resist whatever is being given to us. Focusing on what we came to do is not the most important thing when God sends us out. Our role as “healers” in a ministry setting involves offering hope, bringing encouragement, and meeting needs. Brave servants listen and learn as they proclaim God’s love for all people.

Brian Abel

Pray

God, make me curious and flexible today. Keep me receptive to what others offer me. Your strength helps me be brave enough to bring healing to hurting people. Amen.

Go

God’s strength allows us to be brave – to love fearlessly.

The journey may include challenges, discouragement, rejection, and betrayal.

Stay focused on the One who calls us forward and holds us up.