God is Watching

We have an awesome hospitality team at church. The ladies do such a wonderful job preparing and serving the meals. We are blessed to have a time of fellowship around food. Of course, food is not the central focus of our fellowship, but it does provide a good motivation to sit down and talk (fellowship) with others after a great time of worship, learning and serving. From Luke 14, I see one key principle we can apply to our fellowship time.

People are watching and so is God – Luke 14:1

May I also add to this because I think it is also implied, “people are listening too.” After church potblessings are a good time to build relationships and home in on certain people you may not have gotten a chance to know very well. Take the time to do so. Don’t always sit among your own clique.

Are you one of those people who are watching? If you are, then you are well aware when someone in the church is eating by him or herself. Go sit and eat with that person. People are watching, and may I also add to this because it is also implied – “God is watching too!”

Someone will sit by him or herself and that becomes your cue to do what is right – go and attach yourself to his or her table, sit down and strike up a conversation. You know how it feels to go to a church or party and not know anyone there. And you know how grateful you are when someone comes to you and strikes a conversation so you don’t look and feel left out and ignored.

People are watching; people are hearing, and God is watching too!

Jesus zeroed in on the man with dropsy (a swelling of the body do to the retention of having excess fluid - v. 2). No one else did. People were watching Jesus. When Jesus asked the religious zealots if it was okay to heal this man on the Sabbath, they had no answer for Him (v. 4). God was listening.

So Jesus, not needing the approval of man healed the man with dropsy and then sent him away (v. 4). Why did Jesus send the man away? Because what fellowship does light have with darkness (2 Cor. 6:14)?

Jesus then gives a clever story. He wisely chooses a factual situation – the Pharisees will not hesitate to save one of their sons or even an ox that has fallen into a well on the Sabbath (v. 5), but when it comes to saving or helping a stranger, they recoil and turn the other way. God is watching, this is why Jesus was able to use this illustration on them. He knew what they usually do and what they usually do not do at their gatherings. God is watching!


Part of our mission statement is that PEOPLE MATTER! Is this merely a statement written on paper or is it also written on our hearts?  God is watching.  Since this is true, why not give the Lord something to smile about as He watches?