Miss Hospitality

Miss Hospitality

Lydia

Read: Acts 16:13-15

When Jeannie and her husband built their beautiful, spacious home, they determined to use it to honor God. Their house has been used for youth group retreats, small-group meetings, Bible studies, ladies’ luncheons, showers, and big potluck dinners. College kids working in the area for the summer and missionaries have stayed there. When someone doesn’t have enough room for out-of-town visitors, they know that Jeannie’s home is available. Each Thanksgiving, Jeannie’s family hosts a large dinner for friends, work colleagues, and students from other countries.

Lydia exercised her gift of hospitality from the moment she became a follower of Christ. After she was baptized, she invited Paul and his fellow missionaries to be her guests if they considered her a true believer, and she urged them until they agreed. Lydia regarded the opportunity to play hostess to these missionaries as a privilege rather than a burden.

Many of us would like to be more like Jeannie and Lydia, but we think our houses aren’t big enough, our furniture isn’t nice enough, our cooking isn’t impressive, or we don’t have enough time. Usually the problem is that we have confused entertaining with showing hospitality. Showing hospitality simply means being focused on making another person feel at home. That doesn’t have to resemble something in a magazine spread.

Like God’s other commands, hospitality is a two-way blessing. Lydia’s willingness to open her home played a key role in the growth of that first band of Christians in Philippi. Meanwhile, Lydia learned more about the truths Paul was sharing. Jeannie’s family also receives joy from being able to share their resources with others. Only God knows how many people have been blessed by those two homes.

Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Romans 12:13