at APRIL 02, 2013 by MARK KOLCHIN

God’s Word encourages His people to show hospitality to others. To be hospitable means to be kind and considerate to those around us. This is not so easy to do since we all live such busy lives. It is hard to give up what we are interested in doing in order to take time out for others.

But it is one of the best ways to show that God has truly changed our hearts and that we belong to Him.

When Matthew, one of the twelve disciples came to Christ, he held a great feast and invited many of his old friends to come to his home and to meet Jesus, Mark 2: 13-20. His hospitality helped many of them to follow Christ, changing their lives. During the days of Elisha, an OT prophet of God, there was a rich woman from a town called Shunem who was a great example of hospitality, 2 Kings 4:8-17. She noticed that Elisha traveled by her home regularly in his service for the Lord, so she invited him into her home for a meal. Afterwards, she decided with her husband to provide a room for him, complete with a bed, table, chair and lamp. By showing hospitality to this servant of the Lord, they honored God with their lives. As a result, God honored them with a child a year later. When we show hospitality not only do we bless others, but we are blessed in our lives as well. Things really do happen when we open our hearts and homes and show hospitality to others! Who can we encourage in this way today?