Week: Hospitality - having open hearts and open homes
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Loving God, You make Your home in our hearts. We are excited to explore more of what it means to open our hearts to the world.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Asaph
Matthew 25:35
Jesus said, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house.’
Matthew 25:35 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we are continuing to REFLECT on Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, where he encourages them to keep on living and loving each other with open hearts of hospitality.
Read by Asaph
Romans 15:5-6
May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. Then you will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 (NCV)
Harmony is when things go well together. People sometimes talk about voices or musical instruments being in harmony – the notes that they sing or play are different, but they go well together. In fact, they sound better together than they do separately.
That’s what Paul is talking about in these verses. When we’re patient with each other instead of getting annoyed and frustrated; when we encourage each other instead of arguing; when we love each other and join together like this, our lives harmonise. We go well together. In fact, we’re even better together than we are on our own.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What different things can we think of that go really well together? For example, an ice-cream on a hot day, or cheese and Marmite in a sandwich!
Paul mentioned both patience and encouragement in today’s verses, so let’s ASK for God’s help with these.
When did we feel impatient or frustrated over the last few days?
Holy Spirit, we ASK You to grow the fruit of patience in us. Help us to become more like Jesus.
When did we feel discouraged over the last few days?
Holy Spirit, we give You how we’ve been feeling, and we ASK You to fill us with encouragement instead. Thank You that You believe in us.
Now, let’s pray for harmony – for things to go well together – in the world. As we pray each line of this prayer, let’s all say ‘Amen’ out loud together, which simply means ‘we agree’ or ‘let it be so’.
We pray for harmony in the world – a place that is safe for all children.
Amen!
We pray for harmony in the world – for peace instead of wars.
Amen!
We pray for harmony in the world – where resources are shared and no-one is hungry.
Amen!
We pray for harmony in the world – where all people are valued and treated equally.
Amen!
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Romans 15:5-6
May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. Then you will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord God, we say YES, we believe that harmony in the world is possible, and we will join You in doing everything we can to make harmony happen in every way.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 25:35
Jesus said, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house.’
Matthew 25:35 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Asaph is 9 years old. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his younger sister Adelina, father and mother. He enjoys riding his bike, camping, reading, playing flag football and watching Bible Project videos. Asaph is kind and smart and loves hanging out with friends!
