Philanthropy Begins at Home
to sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted and humble in spirit. 1 Peter 3:8 NASB
Humble – In Greek this word is philophrones. Now you get to do a little Greek investigation yourself. You already know both parts of this word. Can you put the two parts together here and create a new word? [But in case you don’t have time to go look, the two parts are “brotherly love” and “frame of mind”]. Now you see that “humble” is not quite the right sense for this word. It literally means “a mind of love toward brothers.”
Peter is a very practical priest. He is telling us that the secret to mutual support, shared suffering, brotherly love and making people feel good inside is having a loving frame of mind toward those in the community. That frame of mind will spill over into being friendly, courteous and kind to all.
This word was used to describe the entertainment of strangers. We can think of the ancient customs associated with entertaining visitors by looking at the Bible stories of Abraham. The good host always humbled himself by making his visitors feel like honored guests. After all, you never knew who the guest might turn out to be, as Abraham discovered. The renowned hospitality of the ancient Middle East stems from this obligatory kindness toward any guest. We see that same assumed pattern of behavior in the lives and words of the New Testament authors.
Peter tells us more than just “have a courteous mindset.” He applies this word to our spiritual state of being. He reminds us that true friendliness and courtesy are spiritual and physical matters. They come from the deepest part of our being. We can always follow the social rules of legislated etiquette, but true friendliness comes from the heart, not the rule book. Our expression of courtesy and friendliness comes from our genuine care for others, a care that is based on how God treats us.
“Father, let me be the conduit of Your care for others today by showing them honor, courtesy and friendliness. Guide me toward those people who need to feel Your love through me and make sure I don’t miss the opportunity. I am so vulnerable to being wrapped up in myself. Push me to see others as honored guests in my life. Let me entertain angels unaware. And may my actions glorify You.”
Topical Index: kind-hearted, philophrones, brotherly love, hospitality, 1 Peter 3:8
“Father, let me be the conduit of Your care for others today…..”
A truly beautiful prayer Skip! Thanks for sharing it AND for nudging us to join you in praying that prayer.
I’m in!!
~ to sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted and humble in spirit ~ (1 Peter 3:8)
Amen! and “Who”was (is) the most humble-minded Man ever to have lived? Moses may be meek, but the mark of humility belongs to the Messiah, the Man Christ Jesus. ~ He saved others- Himself He cannot save..~ So true. Why? Because He lived (and died) for “others.” Even the Messiah (from whom are all things) was not “self”-centered! He lived to serve “others!” ~ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many ~ Neil Young, here is your “heart of gold” you’ve been searching for; a totally “other-centered” Man!
If this is true (and it is) and we are to follow Him, to imitate Christ, then we also must live this way- putting “others” first. Learning to be (as He was) the servant of all. Not (as some would say) “servant-hearted leadership,”- but rather “servant-hearted servanthood.” We serve God by serving others!
~ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.~ (John 13.5) So incredibly hard to wrap my mind around this! God washing my feet? The King of kings and LORD of lords washing my feet? Oh- how I rebel against this! But Yeshua insists.. He is the Servant-King. And if you want to be great in God’s kingdom (He says) “learn” to be the servant of all.
Now, – is it “more blessed” to serve- or to be served? -(Where’s my towel?) The way up is down. – How may I serve you?
Abba, please let us see the opportunity to bring a tangible and concrete blessing to someone today, in Yeshua’s name, Amein.
Jesus went to ‘prepare a place’ for us. We can reflect our Savior more clearly by making our homes a haven for others, and not just our families. When we take in that troubled nephew, or the grandchild that our own dysfunctional child can’t raise themselves, or daughter of the drug-addicted acquaintance — we are restoring the image of Christ.
No TW yet for today?
I messed up, and was on a plane and didn’t know there was a problem until it was too late. Sorry.
No problem, I’m not trying to add any pressure. I hope you just get that nice fuzzy feeling in knowing that some people are addicted to TW.
Cheers!