September 6
Receiving Line

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

 

¹⁶ Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷ For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. ¹⁸ And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. ¹⁹ What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰ We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹ For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

²² In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴ Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

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How good are you at receiving new people into your workplace or even into your church?

We usually welcome help, or new faces into our churches.... but then....

what if they start to receive recognition in some area that we are used to having great influence? How do we feel about them then?

We get very territorial at times, don't we?

We can get pretty fussy if we lose our position to some "new person".

And then....

What would the Lord have us do?

...perhaps this....

prayerfully search out any and every criticism that we have directed toward the way some gift of ministry is used or acknowledged...

Considering it joy ... to take the back seat ..or the last place in the "receiving line"....

When the Lord sends someone into your midst, welcome them with the love of Jesus Christ! Learn to appreciate, and yes, even to enjoy, the new person!

Consider how Jesus Christ wants to use YOU in that person's life.

And then, also  how the Lord may bless you also ....

It makes the "receiving line" much more exciting to anticipate and delight in those who may be standing next to you!