Hospitality is quickly becoming a lost art. Often thought of as just 
having someone into our home, hospitality is much more than that.
Webster’s defines hospitality as: Treating guests with warmth and generosity.
Oops! It doesn’t say anything about inviting people into our clean and beautiful abodes! But, we hold off greeting people based on feeling we have nothing to offer. If the house isn’t clean, put together, or otherwise acceptable we often don’t invite someone in. If we are not in a good mood, good place, or just don’t feel like it, we aren’t warm. If we are struggling ourselves we hold on tightly to what we have in self preserving mode, rather than being generous to others regardless of our own situation.
Hospitality was not created the day Martha Stewart was born! Hospitality is in the Bible, and is a biblical principle!
Today’s Truth: Romans 12:13
” Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
“Help needy Christians, be inventive in hospitality.” The Message
All of Romans 12 is building now on the foundation of complete surrender.
We live as living sacrifices, turning away from the world’s pattern of SELF, turning to God’s plan of transformation through Truth renewing our mind. We then in turn begin to build upon this foundation by thinking of others, living as if they are truly significant to God, and following in the path of selflessness and Christ centeredness.
That is where today’s truth comes in. I challenge you to look at hospitality differently. Block horduerves out of your head, and think….warmth, kindness, God’s love flowing through me. Don’t think of the right moment to make it happen, think instead that every day and every relationship is an opportunity to have an open heart or an open home.
- We are not to be selfish, but to share.
- We are to practice this ( must not come naturally).
How can you be inventive in this area? Think about it. If it’s in the Bible it is worthy of our thoughts and attention.
Today’s Prayer
Lord build on the foundation of Christ in me…changing me, shaping me, and molding me more and more into your image. Lord, help me to see the areas where warmth and kindness are more important than the way in which it is expressed. Help me to view hospitality as something more than a cooking show or decorators corner. Help me to view it as a spiritual principle.
I appreciate this unique devotion. It has defined hospitality as an expression of a life surrendered to God and created a mental picture of it for me~ “…think warmth, kindness and God’s love flowing through me.”
And with that I say, “Yes Lord!”
Today as I was @ the car dealership service dept. window. I noticed that the young female attendant looked sad.She went thru the regular questions starting with how are you? I replied, today I woke up and had a pulse so I know God has a purpose for me. She replied, thanks for that, its a great way to view things.I told her it was a bit of wisdom I heard from Kathy Lee Gifford on the Huckabee show.She pondered the statement again and said Thanks ,that it made her day.
So thanks, Debbie for giving me a new wy to be hospitable!