Hospitality ~ How Often Do You Welcome Someone?

Fall is a great time! We look forward to the holidays, and everyone is a tad bit nicer than the earlier part of the year. Also, let's face it.. Life is BUSY! September chewed me up and spit me out! Once October arrived and a sermon on Stress.Less, I said hello fall! You won't get me down! One of my favorite bloggers does this October challenge to focus on family and prayer, I love it. I always bring my candle out on week 1. I'm pretty sure the blog link is tied to a picture on this blog. I simply love it and looking forward to time where everyone will look forward to spending extra family time!

Last night my pastor preached on a subject that is dear to my heart. Hospitality. To him it wasn't his favorite point and thought it was something everyone needed to hear but might not light a fire on some. I love it b/c it is something I focus on really just my personality.

Here are some of his points:
Hospitality is receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, and generous way. The word literally means "love of strangers."
Biblical hospitality is about making God look good, not ourselves. So don't let a messy house keep you from welcoming someone!

We are to show it not only to friends and family... but strangers.. fellow believers.. and the forgotten .. He even added those that suck the energy out of you.. You need to love even those.

We are to open our hearts, our lives, our homes, emulate the love of Christ, serve Christ by serving others, and bring glory to God.

1 Peter 4: 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13: Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

We all understand that this world is a dangerous place, but you never know what someone is going through. they might just need a smile, an offer to help, or a simple act of kindness. At the beginning of the year, I made a goal to try to cook a meal with a friend and have them over. Offer my home for a visit, even if my kids had destroyed it. I was an OCD person, but really if you have kids.. you survive and laugh at the mess. May we all find a way to help someone, show kindness to those people that society shrugs a shoulder at, show God's love.. there are so many lost souls out there. And from showing God's love, my we show our children to do the same!