August 9 Daily Devotional

The Prophet's Chamber

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading:

2 Kings 4:8-10

⁸And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
⁹And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
¹⁰Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

Devotional:

Do you own your own home? Or does God?

The practice of hospitality may be approached from many angles. This matter of God's ownership of us and all we call our own is one angle. The matter of demonstrating God's love to strangers is another. There is even that practical angle of placing ourselves in the position of entertaining angels unawares!

The Shunammite woman is called a 'great' woman, which means that she was a woman of some wealth. When God grants us means and enables us to have a home, how better can we say 'Thank You' to Him than by having a prophet's chamber? This is like a perpetual tithing of our home!

The Christian world seems to be recovering the art of hospitality to some extent. Independence, affluence, motels and cars all probably contributed to its disappearance. What has contributed to its rediscovery? The L'Abris, the Christian communes?

We are enjoined by God to show hospitality. We have noted some of the angles to the question. Now we ask, what does hospitality do for a home? To answer that is exciting. People, created in the image of God, are wonderful. Each one is unique. Hospitality is educational! Contacts with people from a variety of racial, cultural, socio-economic backgrounds broaden our horizons. As the door of our home is unlatched to visitors to our church, missionaries ,and casual visitors as well, our home is enriched. The visiting Korean doctor, the Brazilian pastor, the black professor—these leave memories and mold attitudes in parents and children alike.

And what a joy to supply the needs of these visitors! What a deep joy to know the inspiration and encouragement our gesture of friendship can mean to a lonely person!

'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,' said our Lord, 'ye have done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40). The union of Christ with His people comes through here as we consider the Shunammite woman, even as it did yesterday when we read of the boys and the bears.

We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.