Warmth of the Holy Family (Romans 12:13)

Being sick for a week will definitely teach you something about your family. There are people with squeamish stomachs who will still clean up the mess after their vomiting kid. Luckily I wasn’t vomiting, but it says something when you know you can ask anyone in your family to get you some food or meds or a blanket and know they’ll help you. Better yet when your dad will run to pick up the first food you have an appetite for after your fever breaks. Simple, but a subtlety we hardly ever give thanks for. Maybe there is no family like that in our lives, but as the body of Christ do we live with the same selflessness towards our spiritual brothers and sisters? The thing is, we like the big dramatic gestures and somewhere deep down Jesus’ words about laying our life down sounds more striking when it speaks of one glorious act and not the daily sacrifices that are often more difficult.

“distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:13

Distributing (koinóneó): share, communicate, impart, contribute, share fellowship with

Needs (chreia): necessity, necessary, requirement, such things as needed for sustenance

Saints (hagios): set apart, holy, sacred

Given to (diókó): earnestly pursue, chase aggressively, seek after

Hospitality (philoxenia): love to strangers

My rewritten version:

“Maintain true fellowship with your holy family and provide for each others needs. Pursue the wayfarer and the stranger in love and show them the warmth of home.”

Text Reference: Helps Word Studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc.

Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Photo Reference: State Library of New South Wales. Schoolchildren line up for free issue of soup and a slice of bread in the Depression, Belmore North Public School, Sydney, 2 August 1934