10-11 “When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m saying is, If you walk around all high and mighty, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

12-14 Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends

The Message Student Bible (Hardcover)
The Message Student Bible (Hardcover)
Retail: $34.99
Our Price: $24.99
Save: $10.00 (29%)
The Message Gift and Award Bible, Softcover, Coral
The Message Gift and Award Bible, Softcover, Coral
Retail: $7.99
Our Price: $6.99
Save: $1.00 (13%)
2.0 of 5.0 stars
The Message Devotional Bible LeatherLike, Brown
The Message Devotional Bible LeatherLike, Brown
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $32.99
Save: $7.00 (18%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
The Message Gospel of John in Contemporary Language - eBook
The Message Gospel of John in Contemporary Language - eBook
Retail: $2.99
Our Price: $2.39
Save: $0.60 (20%)
The Daily Message: Through the Bible in One Year - eBook
The Daily Message: Through the Bible in One Year - eBook
Retail: $24.99
Our Price: $14.71
Save: $10.28 (41%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars