Show Hospitality

- Hospitality should not be forgotten or neglected, but rather be enthusiastically pursued, frequently performed, and cheerfully practiced. "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:9) Do you complain about how much food you have to prepare or how much cleaning you have to do or how worn out you feel from having people over? Do you grumble that your guests stay too long? We need to ask God to empower us to offer hospitality with a Christlike attitude and a servant's heart.

- Being hospitable means freely giving our time, our resources, and our words of encouragement to meet the needs of others. In Luke 14:12-14, Jesus warns against showing hospitality only to those who would return us the favor. He wants us to be hospitable to those who cannot repay/reciprocate. The point is: our motive in showing hospitality to others should not be that they will invite us and show hospitality to us in return. Our motive should always be agape. 

- Hospitality means caring about others (strangers included) and making them feel welcomed, loved, and cared for. There's a saying we quote often when we talk about friendship evangelism, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". It's true in most cases. Let us be kind and friendly to everyone. Be thoughtful and considerate. In a world that's all about self (I, me, my, mine) and entitlement, how refreshing it is to find someone who specializes in genuine love, kindness, and thoughtfulness toward others. Be that someone :). Be counter-cultural for Christ.

- In Genesis, Abraham and Lot showed hospitality to strangers without knowing that they were angels. Angels are God's messengers. We never know what messages God may want us to hear through those we show hospitality to. We should treat our guests as we would treat Christ.

- Prayer: "Give me a heart sympathetic and tender;
Jesus, like Thine, Jesus, like Thine;
Touched by the needs that are surging around me,
And filled with compassion divine." (Stephen Olford)

"My heart is filled, dear Lord, with love,
So let it show in words and deeds;
And help me share, in all my ways,
The overflow for others’ needs." (Hess) 

"Perhaps you want to know what you can do for the Lord or how to use your spiritual gifts; your home is the ideal place to start serving." (Alexander Strauch)