Hospitality and Discipleship
Read: Acts 18:18-28 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (v. 26) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.” While we tend to think that great […]
Love and Hospitality
Read: 1 Peter 4:1-11 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (v. 9) As we enter the holiday season, it’s good to note the ways that we as Christians can not only celebrate, but also find ways to bless others. There’s a lot of greed and consumption during this time of the year, but there are […]
Hospitality for Our Enemies
Read: Romans 12:9-21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (v. 21) Polycarp was a leader in the church of Smyrna, which suffered heavy persecution from the Romans during the second century. When he was in his eighties, Polycarp was forced into hiding, but he was betrayed to the authorities. When Roman […]
Hospitality and Leadership
Read: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach . . . sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable. (v. 2) What would you include in your list of the most important qualities of a good church leader? Would hospitality be on that list? Hospitality made Paul’s list! Here in 1 Timothy 3, Paul discusses the qualifications for “overseers,” or pastors and […]
Hospitality and Evangelism
Read: Luke 5:27-39 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. (v. 29) Do you think of your home as a center for evangelism? While it’s easy enough to invite someone to church, many people aren’t comfortable in […]
Hospitality and Generosity
Read: Ruth 2:4-17 And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. (v. 14) Up to this point in the book of Ruth, things have not been going well for our heroine. Ruth’s husband has died, as has his brother and father. She and Naomi, her mother-in-law, have been left with nothing […]
The Joy of Hospitality
As you welcome people into your home and life this holiday season, we invite you to consider how to let go of guilt and find joy in hospitality. Reflect on the Biblical invitation to hospitality with the Words of Hope devotional series Hospitality Defined: Practical Love in Service to God. The stylized photograph in the […]
The Blessings of Hospitality
Read: Mark 1:29-39 The fever left her, and she began to serve them. (v. 31) As a newlywed, I received some advice from a former Sunday school teacher who suggested that I open my home whenever I had the opportunity to do so. She shared the blessings she and her family experienced by hosting missionaries, seminarians, […]
Hospitality: A New Testament Example
Read: Acts 16:6-15 She urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” (v. 15) We see God’s Spirit at work from start to finish in this New Testament account. Paul and his traveling companions were prevented by the Spirit from going to Asia, and […]