And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant--these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:6-7)
These verses were written after Obed-Edom's time and refer to another time in the future. But our LORD, who does not change, often talked about foreigners who would join the Jews in the family of God.
And sometime, we don't know when, Obed-Edom, whose name meant "humble servant, enemy of God" had become a friend of God.
We have seen him as the one who had kept the Ark of God's Covenant in his home for 3 months. Then we saw him take up his harp and join that happy band of God's people who delivered the Ark up to Jerusalem.
Then we saw him chosen to be a gatekeeper and a doorkeeper in God's house, and now he is selected "to minister before the Ark of the LORD, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the God of Israel" (1 Chronicles 16:4).
I think Obed-Edom, still a servant, but of God; and not an enemy of God, but now a friend and in His family, felt right at home as he served in front of the Ark.
When Jesus moved into my heart, He showed me that I needed to make some changes in my Family Room. He commented that it seemed empty most of the time.
"My family includes many people of many different languages, cultures, ages and interests. They come together in many ways," He said.
He continued, "And even when you worship at church, sometimes I notice some people are lonely and don't feel close to their brothers and sisters. It might be a warm, joyful service for you, but maybe others don't feel that same warmth and joy. I don't want it to be that way. I didn't design my family to create feelings of exclusion and separation among my people."
"What should I do?" I asked.
"I want you to start working on the problem. And it is a very big problem.
Start by greeting people, not superficially, but with open hands and heart. Really find out how they are doing. Bring them into, and I mean really into, My family, and into your Family Room."
I am working on it. I see now, as I try to look at those around me through His eyes, that there are many hurting people right around me. Brothers and sisters who are in great pain. They are worried about many areas of crisis in their lives.
A healthy family developes and grows through honest, non-intimidating relationships. Where my friends and I can confide in each other, feel acceptance (and God's acceptance, His grace) through and with me.
I can't pretend I have no problems, because (well, for one thing, I am lying) then they don't feel the safety they need to confide in me.
I remember C. S. Lewis once said that the first stage of friendship is when someone can look and us and say, "You, too? I thought I was the only one......" And that's when friendship begins.
Are all my friends white, middle class (what we used to call WASPS - white, anglo-saxon protestants)? When Christ was on earth He moved about among all kinds of people. Most of them poor and needy. The rich young ruler came to Christ as well as Nicodemus. But Christ went to the powerless, the poor sheep who seemed without a shepherd, the hopeless and the ignored and neglected.
A Family Room is where people come to sit and relax and feel at ease. All of them need to feel loved and accepted and cared for by everyone in my family.
I want to fill my Family Room -- to fill it with all kinds of people -- and why? Because I want Jesus to feel at home in my Family Room. And He won't feel at home if I have neglected some "kinds" or "colors" of people; or if I have ignored some around me who are not as high on the social scale or as mentally competent as others.
Jesus told me it is important to Him, and I can see that from the example He left for us to read about. And then, another reason, Jesus' own earthly brother, James, emphasized it in his book....
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourself and become judges with evil thoughts?
Evil thoughts?
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