Jesus told his disciples that despite the warnings he had given about difficulties, as they took His words into the world, they would find people who would welcome and support them as they welcomed and supported Jesus.  He said these people would receive a reward from God for their kindness.  Paul warns that at the same time we need to remember to do righteousness.  We need to avoid sin just because we have received forgiveness.  Do we welcome God’s children and reach out to them just because they are God’s children, or do we demand God’s reward first.

Confession

Lord of Grace, too often we don’t look out for Your children.  We are willing to help those who meet our expectations for appearance or behavior, but for those who are too different than we are, we put up barriers.  Yet You praised those who reached out just because one of Your children needed help.  We somehow feel that we deserve Your forgiveness and grace more than others.  We forget that we too deserve death for our sins.  Open our eyes to our missed opportunities to do good, and teach us how to avoid this in the future.