Hospitality

We, Christ's followers, are to provide for/share with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:10) "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." (1 Timothy 6:18) "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16) 

Practice hospitality. We should always seek the opportunities to be actively hospitable and show the love of Christ to others. Be ready to welcome to our homes those whom God sends our way. This may be to listen and chat over a cup of coffee or tea, or to share a meal or to provide someone a place to stay for a night or a week or a month (or as long as God directs). Make your home a place where people can gather and where you serve them and help them feel loved, accepted, and welcome. We Christians should have a disposition to happily open our hearts, hands, and homes. Our lifestyle of hospitality is an extension of our sincere, devoted love. "Love must be sincere...Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:9a, 10) "Hospitality is what generosity looks like in a relationship." (Benjamin L. Corey) 

• 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) One way to show and share God's love to others is hospitality without grumbling/murmuring/grudging. It's a giving of self and substance gladly. It's opening up your heart and home to welcome and uplift others. 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.
• Hospitality is not the same as social entertaining. It focuses on the guests and their needs, not on the host and her home's condition or her foods or her ability to entertain. My home is not really mine; it belongs to God (everything does) and I want it to be used by Him for His purpose, glory, and kingdom. My home doesn't have to be spotless or beautifully furnished for me to offer hospitality. As long as those who enter in feel loved and welcome and experience peace and joy, that's all it matters :). 
• 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.
  

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2) 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)