There are many ways to show Christ’s love and build Christian community. One of the most effective ways is through hospitality. The goal is to simply let Christ’s love touch and change someone else.
Hospitality is more than inviting people to our homes. Hospitality can be done anytime, anywhere, by anyone. We can show hospitality in a grocery store, hospital room, church, dorm, and even with our immediate families at home. It isn’t about me, how good a cook I am, or how nice my home is. It’s really quite simple. It’s about treating the other person as Christ would—like a very special person, one for whom He died. It’s not any more complicated than that. When we see all He has freely given us, we will want God to touch others through us. In other words, we will pay it forward.
Hospitality looks different for each person, but it is a ministry for everyone. It is not limited by income or age. It’s for teens, college students, adults, elderly, single, or married. What a privilege it is to invest a short amount of time to touch someone for eternity!
Maybe your sink is full of dishes, so you may want to meet somewhere other than your home. Or maybe your house is tidy at the moment, so give some goodies to someone who is remodeling their home. Don’t forget the elderly person who feels the world is happening without them. It doesn’t matter how much you have, but it’s all about what kind of atmosphere you, create even in the checkout line.
Hospitality is intertwined with thankfulness. When we start thanking God for the people and situations in our lives, His love pours from us. The word “hospitality,” found in Romans 12:13, is a combination of two Greek words—one meaning “affection” and the other meaning “stranger.” In other words, show affection to strangers.
The bottom line is: God can use people like you and me to represent Him. When we practice hospitality, we build Christian community and we have the opportunity to touch lives in intimate, personal, unforgettable ways.
Just Between Us (JBU) has many practical articles on how to touch lives in significant ways. We are sure you will find one small idea to try this week. If you have done something that has worked well, please let us know so we can post it for others. This is Christian community - helping one another so we can help others, and blessing one another so we can pay it forward.