H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L-I-T-Y! Hospitality was birthed by God. This is a subject in the Bible all of us should take seriously. It was/is important to God so it should be important to us as well.
Hospitality was practiced enthusiastically by Christians in the Bible. It is something that we should be doing as well, but in this day and age with all the evil going on around us out there it doesn’t seem to get done most of the time. I don’t speak for anyone else, but I know some people who are hospitable, and I know some who definitely are not hospitable. I do think that most of us know we should be hospitably.
When we greet people…how about we greet them graciously? In the Bible, there is a story regarding Abraham in the Bible where Abraham greeted strangers at his door and he bowed in honor of their presence. He took hospitality to heart and lived it.
Do we get excited about entertaining people? It sure seems that Abraham in the Bible did. He ran to meet the strangers and wanted to serve them. When we look at this particular situation Abraham didn’t see the Lord. It was not until he served them that he saw the Lord.
Hebrews 13:2 Did Abraham think he was serving ordinary people? Yes, he did, but instead, he entertained angels and the Lord. It sure looks like Abraham served them with joy and not grudgingly. Abraham and his wife both served the guests. Since the Bible is to be our example, we should also serve others, as the opportunity comes our way, in an honorable way.
When we are hospitable we are reflecting what God wants us to be. As Christians, in the world’s view they think we are crazy and just don’t understand that we follow the ways of the Lord even when it comes to this. Hospitality is spiritual warfare. We might not think of it this way but we are living in a war on every level. The more we act and do the will of our Father in heaven the better we fight the good fight. Sometimes all we see is the evil out there, but there are good people still out there that follow the Lord and we should help them, but we should also be kind to others who “don’t yet know the Lord”…but don’t do as they do.
Every Christian is called to put into practice hospitality, but that does not mean that everyone practices it in the same way. We practice hospitality by sharing our means and our needs, by serving as both host and guest, as Jesus did when he walked this earth. All of us need to have a stake in hospitality because Jesus is still our example in this.
Not everyone has the gift of hospitality. Some people are really good at it, but some who wish they did just don’t do well at it. For whatever reason they don’t do well, God has gifted them with another gift to share with others. But work on this whenever you can for you bless others when you can share you with others.
We, as Christians, should be at a place where when we see another Christian down and out, lonely, depressed… we at least encourage them. We can all be kind in our words even if we don’t have the means to help in another way. If you can share a meal with someone, take them on an errand, or something else…at least try to offer help. When we practice hospitality our children are given a great lesson regarding the bible and what is right for us to do.
Hospitality doesn’t mean you just entertain in your home. You can be hospitable no matter where you are. Don’t expect someone to ever return your hospitality. If you think that way then maybe your motive for being nice and helping just might be wrong.
Jesus is our example. He was so great at being hospitable, but yet did not ever sin being around sinners. He always did right and always had the perfect motive for all He did. We are to grow in the Lord and do all we can so that others can see Jesus in us. Be kind, help as you can, and encourage people as you would like someone to encourage you.
Now may the Lord bless you, help you grow in Him, heal you, teach you, give you wisdom and knowledge, and give you His peace.
God bless you!