Friend of StrangersSample
![Friend of Strangers](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F41055%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
In many languages, the words stranger, guest, and enemy have identical meanings. The Hebrew word we most often translate as stranger is ger, which can also be translated as refugee, immigrant, guest, newcomer, sojourner, or foreigner, depending on the reasons for being on the move. If you are fleeing a war, you are a refugee; if you are working as a traveling salesman, you are a stranger, and if you are visiting a good friend, then you are a guest.
In Biblical times, hospitality was not just a valued attribute of certain good-hearted people but an established code of conduct that could determine the life or death of both host and guest. Because of the hot and harsh climate of the Middle East, most permanent or temporary settlements were located near water sources. Without access to these, people on the move would risk death. In addition, because of the risk of robbers, travelers needed protection when they arrived at new settlements.
When a stranger came to visit, it was still unclear to both the native and the stranger whether to regard each other as friend or foe. Since the native is generally the stronger party, it is incumbent upon him to extend a hand and offer hospitality to the stranger. When the stranger accepts the hospitality, he changes from a potential enemy to a protected guest. The secret to making peace is to extend a hand and offer hospitality instead of building a wall between yourself and the stranger. It is in the very offer of hospitality that the transition from potential enemy to protected guest takes place.
Scripture
About this Plan
![Friend of Strangers](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F41055%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
What does the Bible say about strangers, refugees, and migrants? In this Daily Devotion, you can read about how God created man as a migrant, the twofold mission to integrate the stranger and to go out as missionaries to all nations, what a stranger in a foreign land should do in his new society, how to be a xenophile church leader, and how to turn an enemy into a friend.
More
Related plans
![BibleProject | Sermon on the Mount](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55424%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
BibleProject | Sermon on the Mount
![Leading With Faith in the Hard Places](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55533%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Leading With Faith in the Hard Places
![Church Planting in the Book of Acts](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55588%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Church Planting in the Book of Acts
![7-Day Devotional: Torn Between Two Worlds – Embracing God’s Gifts Amid Unmet Longings](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55526%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
7-Day Devotional: Torn Between Two Worlds – Embracing God’s Gifts Amid Unmet Longings
![God in the Midst of Depression](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55477%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
God in the Midst of Depression
![Ready as You Are](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55599%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Ready as You Are
![You Are Not Alone.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55570%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
You Are Not Alone.
![How to Overcome Temptation](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55606%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
How to Overcome Temptation
![Acts 10:9-33 | When God Has a New Way](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55584%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Acts 10:9-33 | When God Has a New Way
![EquipHer Vol. 12: "From Success to Significance"](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F55586%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)