As if the dignity of every human were not reason enough, the writer of Hebrews commends hospitality for a strange reason we often overlook. Like Abraham, who welcomed three strangers, we may not know at the time the significance of what we are doing when we show hospitality.

A concerning trend of partiality threatened the witness of the early church. James argues that welcoming the rich but not the poor is no real hospitality at all.

Harboring resentment often gets in the way of the life we’re called to. When asked about forgiveness, Jesus tells a parable to expose the hypocrisy of any of us who are forgiven much and welcomed by him, only to withhold forgiveness from others.

Calling people from all the earth to himself has always been in God’s plan, and through the work of Jesus Christ, he has broken down “the dividing wall of hostility.” Where once a wall stood, his motley followers are being made into a holy house and invited to live today as the King’s home.

As the years passed since their rescue from captivity in Egypt, the Israelites were tempted to forget what God had done for them and begin mistreating outsiders. Those welcomed by the impartial and just God who loves the sojourner are called to emulate him.

Jesus knows what it is like when waiting hurts. In the wilderness, tested by the devil, he teaches us how the Scriptures become our steadfast companions along the way.

Isaiah 40 shifts from God’s righteous judgment to his great comfort on the way. The incomparable God will give new strength to those who wait on him.

For Abraham and Sarah, their promised son seemed impossible, and the wait unthinkable. In times like those, we ask, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Our limited perspective makes it hard to trust in God’s timing while we wait. Peter offers a glimpse of God’s perspective, in which what we may see as slowness is his perfect mercy and patience at work.

In the Psalms, we find a refreshing honesty about the rocky places of life. Though the wait may be long and the pain real, we continue to seek God in trust, for he will deal bountifully with us.

If we could set our alarm clocks for the return of Jesus, he’d find us wide awake and dressed to the nines. Instead, he urges his disciples toward a round-the-clock readiness.

God compares the prophet Ezekiel's calling to a watchman warning of danger. In light of Christ, this is a stirring image of our responsibility to keep watch and bear witness to the truth of the Gospel.

The opening chapters of Revelation present a sobering vision of God’s perspective on the failures of the early churches. The words to the church in Sardis remind us that we can look awake on the outside and inwardly have fallen asleep.

The Thessalonians were anxious about the second coming of Christ. When Paul addresses their fears, he does not provide them with a timeline, but an exhortation toward an awake, watchful, and hopeful life.

As dark clouds can obscure the sun’s rays, the storms of life can interfere with our awareness of God’s work and presence in our lives. The Psalmist leads us to keep watching and waiting on the Lord, whatever the weather.

God had called Abram (later Abraham) to go to a new land with the promise of blessing. When land disputes arose, Abram had every right to make demands, but he humbly gave his nephew Lot “first dibs.” By laying down his rights, Abram trusted that God always makes good on his promises.

Humbling yourself for the sake of love is not easy, but we’re not alone. To encourage the church in Philippi, Paul recites the “Christ Hymn,” believed to be one of the earliest Christian anthems.

Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, wielded more power and prestige than any of us could fathom. Yet by refusing to humble himself before God, Nebuchadnezzar made one thing sure: God would humble him.

The Psalmist leads us in marveling at God. When we let the amazement of all God has done and the fact that he would keep us in mind really sink in, we’re released from self-importance to the freedom of humility in Christ. 

Following Jesus didn’t instantly cure the Apostles James and John and their mother of the impulse to seem more important. Many of us still live to elevate our status above others, but Jesus flips our aspirations. Among God’s people, the only way up is down.