Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
Let marriage be held in
honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
These are the first few verses from Hebrews 13. I love this passage because it gives such practical ways to "continue brotherly love".
In honor of my 50th post, I have decided to post my thoughts, such as they are, on the passage. They may seem random, I hope not. I hope the bottom line shows up: love one another. Really love - by esteeming the other person as better than yourself. Let it continue.
The first is having real empathy - show hospitality to strangers and remember those who are in prison. Where I'm concerned, I'm pretty aloof. I have spent most of my life content in my bubble, to the extent that even the "what" in the world I gave attention to was only what I deemed important. This is an embarrassing admission, especially from someone who dutifully bought Angel Tree gifts for years. Because, I didn't really care about those in prison. And possibly only pitied those families I was "helping out".
I grew up driving past the largest walled prison in the world, and yet I had become numb to the prisoner. We even had a post card of the prison with the caption "Having a great time. Wish you were here!"
Not that the humor in the card is wrong, but the truth is I am called to remember. We need to have empathy for our fellow brothers and sisters. God says remember those in prison as if YOU ARE IN PRISON WITH THEM. It doesn't say "unless they're guilty" or "unless they deserve to be there". It simply says to remember them - and remember them as if you were there with them. What if it were me? What if I were away from my family and loved ones? my routine? What about the guilt and fear that would plague me? What a lonely existence, and how lonely I would be!! Remember them.
The next verses say "let marriage be held in honor". Right now in America there is a ruling under debate in Colorado about pre-marital counseling. The state wants to require couples to go through pre-marital counseling before tying the knot. I think pre-marital counseling is a great idea (leaving politics out of it); I would much rather see the state make it more difficult to dissolve a marriage - the contract under the authority of the government and the covenant with the Living God. Honor means to dignify; to venerate; to exalt. Do that! So we, as a people, would understand the value and beauty of a life that perseveres.
The final idea is that of contentment. It seems unattainable. Images of the younger, more beautiful; the better educated; the manicured lawns and the exquisitely dressed. How little I have / how little I'm worth compared with how much we want / how much they're worth. We want so much in life - we are, in fact, told to attain to certain positions, buy certain clothes, keep up with appearances. As I type, I keep hearing a song in my head "the grass is always greener; the sky forever blue; we all know there's something better there for us to do" What we have is not our goal. Didn't we hear it all the time "you can't take it with you". In fact, Scott and I have some very nice things in our house. Beautiful dishes from grandma; this computer I'm typing on; charming design in the living room - and, it's home. Our children are comfortable and safe. We've made memories here. On the other hand, we also have frayed edges and battered walls; crumbling brick and weathered pipes. The list of maintenance needs, coupled with the desire to upgrade, has left us feeling empty ... and a little consumed. Instead of nursing that emptiness, our heart's cry should be "the Lord is my helper!" and "I will not be afraid!" I just think it's a matter of perspective. Where our treasure is, there will our heart be also... right? Be content with what you have. Build for myself treasure in Heaven. And when we're content, we can love our "brother" who maybe has a little more than we have; we aren't concerned with keeping up with the Jones's; we can see beyond the material facade to the heart of the person created by God - and then we're able to love them the way Christ does.
These are my thoughts. Let brotherly love continue.
