This week, I am going to attempt to make the blog a little more interactive.  Less like my general musings and more of a forum for discussion.  

The gifts of wisdom and knowledge seem to be a couplet.  It is almost as if one takes knowledge of scripture and gleans the wisdom of the Lord from it. How can one use the gift of knowledge without wisdom? The definition of the two from our notes outline was: "Knowledge is an awareness of facts and wisdom is an ability to use those facts to accomplish good goals".  Looking at that, one might assume that wisdom is the completion of knowledge.  If this were so, it would seem that the gift of wisdom would always be granted where the gift of knowledge has been bestowed, because spiritual gifts are used to build up the church.  How can the body of Christ be strengthened if an individual has only the gift of knowledge, which seems to only benefit the individual? Then again, 1 Corinthians 14 says that the gift of tongues edifies the individual, while the gift of prophecy is beneficial to the church as a whole.  

So, do you think the gift of knowledge comes independently of wisdom (note the definition above)? It poses an interesting question, because if you say yes, then you are obligated to say how the gift is beneficial to the church, because the definition says that wisdom is the use of facts for the accomplishment of goals.  There is another twist to this: if knowing the scriptures convicts the heart of a Christian than knowledge could be a spiritual gift independent of wisdom, because the conviction would prompt the individual to action which would ultimately impact the church.  These are just a few things to think about!

~Bonnie

More Than a Pan of Brownies

Before Kori’s lesson on Hospitality, I had a very skewed idea of what it was.  Here is a little insight into my erroneous thoughts: “A hostess welcomes guests at her door and makes them feel comfortable and at ease.  It is her job to prepare snacks and entertainment for any group and see that everyone in her home’s needs are met.  If the guest is staying overnight, then the hostess makes sure their room is ready and their breakfast is to their satisfaction in the morning.  A hostess is loved and welcoming.” 

This sounds like a very rosy picture of a hostess, but it is essentially lacking.  My picture of a hostess grossly ignored the spiritual needs that are met through hosting guests and who those guest should be.  Tuesday night was an eye-opening experience from which I gathered much knowledge, which revolutionized my view of a hostess.  

When I was thinking the lesson over this morning, I began to recall some Old Testament characters who were excellent examples of hostesses, well actually hosts. (Interestingly enough, our modern society all but exempts men from the role of being a host.)  The two characters I thought of were Abraham and Lot. 

Abraham was a man of the Old Testament, whom Jesus’ lineage traces back to.  Please read Genesis 18:1-8.  Notice how he responds to the guest.  Referencing Matthew 25: 40: “The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Do you see the absolute importance of treating all guest with love?  The actions of Abraham directly correlate with Kori’s key emphasis in her lesson on hostessing: receive people who are strangers, keep them as guests and send them off as friends.  Meeting strangers with the heart of Christ rather than cold indifference is as if the same as honoring the Lord.  I have spent far too long being hesitant of those I don’t know or remaining only in the company of those I do. Abraham is an excellent example of what a host is and how we are to treat those who God has sent into our lives .

Abraham’s nephew Lot also demonstrated hospitality.  He was in the most sinful city, Sodom.  To fully understand the sacrifices Lot made made for his two guest, please turn to Genesis 19.  We first notice that Lot found the guest at the city gate and knowing this was not a safe place for them, offered them stay in his own home.  There, he protected them, and they protected him.  The two men were angels sent for Lot’s protection.  Every guest God sends to your home or places in your path is there for a purpose.  It glorified God when Lot accepted the two angels into his home, we too should seek to bring our Lord praise. 

Looking over these two examples, it becomes clear that being a hostess is much more than the world tells us.  Making a divine pan of brownies is not the sum of being a gracious hostess. True hostessing uses such a small task  to exalt a gracious and divine Lord.  Align your heart to God’s will, that you may embrace those who He sets in your path with the warmth of his love and the comfort of his embrace.  Truly this is the sum of being a hostess in the service of the Lord.  

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