Divine Dining March 26, 2026 Devotional

LUKE 14:12-14 | ¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

One way to humble ourselves is to reflect on our own personal and social motivations. The culture around us calls the list of our friends and relatives our “contacts.” This word reveals an uncomfortable truth: we often view others from the standpoint of their utility in advancing our careers, reputations, or prospects. We meter out our attention, our regard, and our hospitality with the expectation and often the goal of being given something in return. There is a quid pro quo that haunts every interaction.

What if, Jesus asks, we measured out our hospitality and attention to people who simply needed our help? What if serving those who could not return our largesse was the goal of governing our social life? We would escape the selfishness of quid pro quo. We would earn the admiration of God. We would shift the way we viewed others, who would change from contacts to friends, neighbors, and children of God.

How often do you move from mutual benefit to genuine generosity?

Gracious God,

Show me a different way to relate to and value others, a way that fits with the new reality of Your kingdom.

Amen.