Making A Difference

Making a Difference

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Philippians 1:3

Have you ever thought a home-cooked meal or an invitation to a family event doesn’t have much power? Well, think again.

On the back page of my Bible from high school is the aged autograph of Mitsuo Fuchida, a speaker I heard at a youth rally during my senior year. He told of his four long, lonely years as a student here in the States during the 1930s. After earning his degree, he returned to Japan embittered because not one American family had invited him into their home during that time. When his nation later asked him to lead the attack on Pearl Harbor, he accepted without hesitation. It was only after the war that he met a Christian who befriended him and introduced him to Jesus.

A former Ethiopian senator told me about Mangusto, a young African who had encountered only prejudice as a student in the United States during the late 1960s. When Mangusto came into power in his own country, he expelled missionaries and welcomed the Marxists, who took over Ethiopia, one of the world’s oldest Christian nations.

I wonder what difference one Christian friend might have made in both those situations. Sure, kindness probably wouldn’t have stopped a sneak attack or kept a government from toppling, but who can be sure? We never know how a sincere compliment, a bit of encouragement, or even an invitation to dinner will play itself out in a home or within a nation. —SANDRA

Lord, help me to recognize that what I see as my meager hospitality may be a rich banquet to a lonely student or a new member of my community. Show me the individuals who need my welcome.

Hospitality is a test for godliness because those who are selfish do not like strangers (especially needy ones) to intrude upon their private lives.

—ERWIN W. LUTZER, PASTOR AND AUTHOR