Hospitality during the Holiday season

The following devotional was submitted by one of our subscribers who wishes to remain anonymous, and allow the Biblical message to speak for itself. The topic he addresses is “hospitality” which is an important part of the holiday season.

He begins by defining the word hospitality as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers”, and his writing follows:

We find many verses in the Bible about hospitality. Jesus set the example in Matthew 14: 13-21, when He was confronted with the issue of how to feed 5,000 men as well as the women and children. His disciples suggested He send them into the nearby towns to fend for themselves. However, Jesus took the food available, multiplied it and fed the people, which is an example of hospitality.

In Romans 15:13, among other things, Paul exhorts us to be “given to hospitality”. In 1 Peter 4:9 we are advised to “be hospitable to one another without grumbling”. (Wives can be forgiven for this when their husband shows up with an unannounced guest for supper; not that I have ever done this, ha ha).

Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Romans 12:13 says we are to “distribute to the needs of the saints, and be given to hospitality”.

The second commandment is to “love your neighbour as yourself”. That would include being hospitable. Showing hospitality must be an act of caring, motivated by love.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13 it says (paraphrasing), that anything we do in life, no matter how great, including feeding the poor, profits nothing unless it’s done out of love. It also says “And now abide faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love”.

My prayer is: Lord God would you in-still in the hearts of myself and others an awareness of other’s needs and empower us with your divine love to show hospitality and care to all.