Hospitality and Generosity
Read: Ruth 2:4-17 And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. (v. 14) Up to this point in the book of Ruth, things have not been going well for our heroine. Ruth’s husband has died, as has his brother and father. She and Naomi, her mother-in-law, have been left with nothing […]
The Joy of Hospitality
As you welcome people into your home and life this holiday season, we invite you to consider how to let go of guilt and find joy in hospitality. Reflect on the Biblical invitation to hospitality with the Words of Hope devotional series Hospitality Defined: Practical Love in Service to God. The stylized photograph in the […]
The Blessings of Hospitality
Read: Mark 1:29-39 The fever left her, and she began to serve them. (v. 31) As a newlywed, I received some advice from a former Sunday school teacher who suggested that I open my home whenever I had the opportunity to do so. She shared the blessings she and her family experienced by hosting missionaries, seminarians, […]
Hospitality: A New Testament Example
Read: Acts 16:6-15 She urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” (v. 15) We see God’s Spirit at work from start to finish in this New Testament account. Paul and his traveling companions were prevented by the Spirit from going to Asia, and […]
Hospitality: An Old Testament Example
Read: 2 Kings 4:8-17 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. (v. 8) While there are numerous commands in the New Testament for God’s people to be hospitable, the Old Testament also has many examples of hospitality in practice. Today’s example involves the prophet […]
Hospitality Defined
Read: Acts 2:37-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship. (v. 42) While we may not hear much these days about hospitality, we certainly hear about “entertaining.” Home magazines and make-over shows emphasize all the things that will impress your guests when you entertain: big, bright spaces, unique recipes, and fabulous food. The […]
Confessions of a Recovering Miser
Read: Mark 14:3-9 She has done what she could. (v. 8) I write these devotionals not only for you but also for me. I am a recovering miser. My kids used to call me “El Cheapo.” Last Christmas, when I did something generous for my family, one of them said, “Who are you, and what have […]
Prodigal Giving
Read: Luke 15:11-32 Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. (v. 23) The word prodigal has come to mean “wayward,” but the root of the word is the same as the word prodigious. Prodigal can mean “bountiful, abundant, and generous.” The story Jesus tells in Luke 15 is really the […]
The Price of a Soul
Read: Matthew 16:24-28 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (v. 26) There is a devastatingly beautiful scene at the end of the movie Schindler’s List when Oskar Schindler is racked with guilt for not saving more Jews during the Holocaust. He looks at his wristwatch, ring, […]