From Gary... kindness is...

I have made literally thousands upon thousands of sandwiches over the years, but never one like this. This is quite an improvement, but there still remains an overlap. But, again- this IS AN IMPROVEMENT!!!   I wonder, what would a guest think if you gave them something like this? One word comes to mind- HOSPITABLE!!! 

Hebrews, Chapter 13 (WEB)

 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Which is referencing the following...

Genesis, Chapter 18 (WEB)

1 Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.  2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,  3 and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant.  4 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.  5 I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant.” 

They said, “Very well, do as you have said.” 

  6  Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.”  7 Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.  8 He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate. 

  9  They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” 

He said, “See, in the tent.” 

  10  He said, “I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” 

Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.  11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.  12 Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 

  13  Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?’  14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son.” 

  15  Then Sarah denied, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid. 

He said, “No, but you did laugh.” 

  16  The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.  17 Yahweh said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do,  18 since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?  19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.”  20 Yahweh said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,  21 I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.” 

  22  The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.  23 Abraham drew near, and said, “Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?  24 What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?  25 Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?” 

  26  Yahweh said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.”  27 Abraham answered, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.  28 What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?” 

He said, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.” 

   29  He spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if there are forty found there?” 

He said, “I will not do it for the forty’s sake.” 

  30  He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?” 

He said, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 

  31  He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?” 

He said, “I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.” 

  32  He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” 

He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.”
He said, “I will not do it for the forty’s sake.” 

  30  He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?” 

He said, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 

  31  He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?” 

He said, “I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.” 

  32  He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” 

He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.” 

Just goes to show you- a little bit of hospitality can result in goodness. So, go ahead- make those fancy sandwiches and show some kindness (AKA hospitality). Anything is possible!!!

From Gary... Bible Reading December 17

Bible Reading   

December 17

The World English Bible

Dec. 17

Amos 1-4

Amo 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amo 1:2 He said: "Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither."

Amo 1:3 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron;

Amo 1:4 but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.

Amo 1:5 I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir," says Yahweh.

Amo 1:6 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom;

Amo 1:7 but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it will devour its palaces.

Amo 1:8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines will perish," says the Lord Yahweh.

Amo 1:9 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole community to Edom, and didn't remember the brotherly covenant;

Amo 1:10 but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will devour its palaces."

Amo 1:11 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever;

Amo 1:12 but I will send a fire on Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah."

Amo 1:13 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

Amo 1:14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind;

Amo 1:15 and their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together," says Yahweh.

Amo 2:1 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;

Amo 2:2 but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;

Amo 2:3 and I will cut off the judge from their midst, and will kill all its princes with him," says Yahweh.

Amo 2:4 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected Yahweh's law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;

Amo 2:5 But I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem."

Amo 2:6 Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes;

Amo 2:7 They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;

Amo 2:8 and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

Amo 2:9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

Amo 2:10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

Amo 2:11 I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn't this true, you children of Israel?" says Yahweh.

Amo 2:12 "But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, 'Don't prophesy!'

Amo 2:13 Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.

Amo 2:14 Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won't strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;

Amo 2:15 neither shall he stand who handles the bow; and he who is swift of foot won't escape; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;

Amo 2:16 and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day," says Yahweh.

Amo 3:1 Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying:

Amo 3:2 "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins."

Amo 3:3 Do two walk together, unless they have agreed?

Amo 3:4 Will a lion roar in the thicket, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?

Amo 3:5 Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth, where no snare is set for him? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when there is nothing to catch?

Amo 3:6 Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn't done it?

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.

Amo 3:8 The lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord Yahweh has spoken. Who can but prophesy?

Amo 3:9 Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see what unrest is in her, and what oppression is among them."

Amo 3:10 "Indeed they don't know to do right," says Yahweh, "Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces."

Amo 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary will overrun the land; and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be plundered."

Amo 3:12 Thus says Yahweh: "As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed."

Amo 3:13 "Listen, and testify against the house of Jacob," says the Lord Yahweh, the God of Armies.

Amo 3:14 "For in the day that I visit the transgressions of Israel on him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar will be cut off, and fall to the ground.

Amo 3:15 I will strike the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and the great houses will have an end," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:1 Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, "Bring us drinks!"

Amo 4:2 The Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness that behold, "The days shall come on you that they will take you away with hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.

Amo 4:3 You will go out at the breaks in the wall, everyone straight before her; and you will cast yourselves into Harmon," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:4 "Go to Bethel, and sin; to Gilgal, and sin more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days,

Amo 4:5 offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim free will offerings and brag about them: for this pleases you, you children of Israel," says the Lord Yahweh.

Amo 4:6 "I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in every town; yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:7 "I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One place was rained on, and the piece where it didn't rain withered.

Amo 4:8 So two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:9 "I struck you with blight and mildew many times in your gardens and your vineyards; and your fig trees and your olive trees have the swarming locust devoured: yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:10 "I sent plagues among you like I did Egypt. I have slain your young men with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp, yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:11 "I have overthrown some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire; yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.

Amo 4:12 "Therefore thus will I do to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel.

Amo 4:13 For, behold, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought; who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the high places of the Earth: Yahweh, the God of Armies, is his name."

 

Dec. 17

3 John

3Jn 1:1 The elder to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth.

3Jn 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.

3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when brothers came and testified about your truth, even as you walk in truth.

3Jn 1:4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear about my children walking in truth.

3Jn 1:5 Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you accomplish for those who are brothers and strangers.

3Jn 1:6 They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God,

3Jn 1:7 because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles.

3Jn 1:8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

3Jn 1:9 I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn't accept what we say.

3Jn 1:10 Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.

3Jn 1:11 Beloved, don't imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn't seen God.

3Jn 1:12 Demetrius has the testimony of all, and of the truth itself; yes, we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.

3Jn 1:13 I had many things to write to you, but I am unwilling to write to you with ink and pen;

3Jn 1:14 but I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.