Family Ark Ministries

I Peter 4:9 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” In part one of this series on hospitality, we discussed this scripture and the implications of using the gift of hospitality primarily as it concerned the church. In part two, we will discuss hospitality in the home. Hospitality was evident in scripture by so many of the early Christians. It was an essential component of helping to spread the gospel from town to town. Christians need to demonstrate hospitality to all others because it is a way of letting your light shine. We show our love and service for the Lord when we love and serve our fellow people. In a selfish, rude and increasingly hostile world, what a wonderful way of showing the love and compassion of Jesus towards others by using the gift of hospitality.

For some of you, this is truly your gift of service. You don’t even have to think about it. You have a special gift from God and you should use it for His glory just like someone who has a God given voice who sings in church. All Christians however, can learn to show mercy, compassion, kindness and hospitality. Hospitality is simply being thoughtful. Hospitality is implementing the golden rule. Hospitality should be freely given and as the scripture states, without griping and complaining about it.

Almost all people will have guest in their home. It may be people you don’t know well, or it may be your family when they come for holidays and vacations. All it takes is a little preparation and thoughtfulness on your part to show kindness to guest in your home. Here are some tips you may want to consider when having guest in your home. And even your family should be considered guest. If parents, grandparents or adult children with their own families come to your home, treat them as honored guest. Even if your kids grew up in your home, you can still show them courtesy when they return for a visit.

Always scan the bedroom where guest will sleep. Always have bottled water on the nightstand. Yes, they can get up and get a drink, but maybe they don’t want to disturb others. Maybe they are unsure of the path in the dark. Make it easy. Provide water for them. You can also prepare snacks for them. Don’t ask if they want a snack. Most people will say no because they don’t want to be a bother. Prepare some fruit, cheese, crackers and a piece of candy in the room. Have a magazine or two along with a Bible for them to read in the room. Sometimes people forget to bring their bible to church, so they may have forgotten to take it on a trip. Or maybe if it is there by the bed, they might read it when they have got out of the habit of reading it. If some relative complains the next morning about the snacks you had available, let it go. Just smile and nod. Some people just have that negative personality. Don’t let it discourage you from being hospitable. You did your best. Don’t feel guilty unless you left rat poison for them.

Leave the light on. This is not home for your guest. A night light in the hall or bathroom is very helpful in the middle of the night. You don’t have to be elderly to appreciate a light so you don’t stub your toe in an unfamiliar house on the way to the bathroom. And speaking of bathrooms. Please, please, please have a towel to dry hands on. I have been to so many homes where there isn’t a towel in sight. I always think, “ don’t these people dry their hands?” Then I think, “ Oh no – don’t they wash their hands!” If guest are staying, lay out towels and wash cloths for them. Show them where additional items can be found.

Be thoughtful with the thermostat. I have stayed in homes where I burned up. The home family didn’t, because they all have ceiling fans in their rooms running at full blast, but no fans in the guest room. Always throw some extra blankets on a chair just in case. You may not get cold in July, but your guest might. Let them know if they need an extra blanket, here it is. Curb your cat! Fido too! Many people like animals but don’t like having your dog lick their toes, or your cat leave hair on all their clothes. Some people have allergies. Be thoughtful. Don’t allow kids or animals to climb on your guest!

Go to a large department store or drug store. They all carry travel size toiletries now. Buy some small shampoos, soaps, hand sanitizers, toothpaste etc… Put these in a small basket and set in the guest room. It is just being thoughtful in case it is needed. Be thoughtful about others. If you have elderly parents that go to bed at 9 pm, then you and your kids need to turn down the TV and maybe retire early yourself. Sacrifice just for a short time. If you are a guest in someone’s home, don’t wake everyone in the house up because of your sleep patterns. Don’t snoop. All people should knock before entering a bedroom even if it is family. Let’s respect boundaries. Be thoughtful. Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to each other. What a way of letting your light shine before others than being thoughtful, not self-focused, and giving hospitality one to another.

I Peter 4:9 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” The gift of hospitality. We should use the gifts God gives us for the purpose of serving others. We can serve our Lord by serving others. We can show love for the Lord by loving others. With hospitality, we should do it with joy, and not with grudging. At the surface, you may think it is easy to show hospitality in your home without grudging. However, you may also remember a time when you had a house full of company, and about day three, you started griping about all the work you were doing.

Some people have a God-given gift for hospitality. It comes as second nature to them. For others, we have to acquire the talent to be used for God’s purposes. All Christians should show hospitality to one another. It is a way of showing Christian love and compassion. It requires thoughtfulness. Thoughtfulness is in short supply today in this self-serve society we live in. Force yourself to think of others. Go out of your way to be thoughtful. It doesn’t matter if you were raised this way or not. God can show you through his spirit how to fulfill kindness and thoughtfulness towards others.

Since I am on the road a great deal, the lessons of hospitality have been learned first hand. I preach and teach the same no matter how people treat me. I am doing it for the Lord. I don’t have to be pampered or babied. However, it sure makes it nice when people are thoughtful. It makes you feel appreciated and loved. It makes your work a pleasure. I recently returned from Indianapolis. The pastor there took care of me. He brought to my hotel room so much food and drink. He had called in advance and asked my favorite snacks and candy. He had all of them in abundance ready for me. He had a vast array of drinks. He gave me phone numbers of people to call if I needed anything. He arranged for me to work out at a local gym each morning and they paid the weekly fee. He didn’t have to do this. I didn’t have to have it. But it was considerate and thoughtful.

Another church I go to each year shows hospitality to my family. They always had a teddy bear and candy lying on the pillows of the motel room for each of my children. They have iced down grape drink with goblets and a fruit basket for my wife and I. They have a card each year to my family. The inscription reads something like this: “ Thank you for your sacrificing your husband and dad to teach us this weekend. We are praying for you. Thanks for giving him up this weekend. Here is enclosed $200.00 for you all to eat and go out and have some fun while your dad works with us. “ Signed by about 50 people. This same church one year, knew I was going on to another state from their church without returning home. They arranged for a laundry service to open up at 10 PM to do my laundry and dress shirts after the last service was over that night. All of this is not necessary. But it sure shows some appreciation, kindness and thoughtfulness. Little things do mean a lot.

A church can show hospitality to one another during church meals and special events. Treat guest at your church like you would treat guest in your home. Do unto others as you would like done unto you. When I go to churches, it tells me a lot about their attitude when I see how they respond to the guest and the guest evangelist. Some churches allow the guest and guest preacher to go first in the line for dinner at church. I have been to other churches where I prayed with someone in the altar after services, and when we got out to the fellowship hall, they were cleaning up the dishes. “Sorry about your dinner they said. We already ate. I think there is a chicken leg over in the refrigerator.” It didn’t bother me. I’m a big boy. I went and got something to eat in town. But I was embarrassed for the church because of the first time visitor that I had prayed with who was standing next to me. This church’s attitude spoke loudly to me and the guest.

I teach manners to young people at camp. It is obvious so many parents are busy working, and chasing their sports addiction, that they don’t have time to teach manners to their children. So I try and help these poor kids. Manners don’t equate to morality, but it sure is a way of letting your light so shine before others. I think it is not only rude and poor hospitality, but I think it verges on abusive when churches have dinners and make the elderly members stand in a long line. I say let all the guest and elderly go first through the line. It doesn’t hurt kids to stand in line. It does frequently hurt the senior adults. The abuse comes in, when I see 30 little kids running to the front of the line and some older person on a cane is standing all the way at the back. This is a bigger issue than hospitality. Some moms say, “ But little kids get hungry quicker and have to eat more frequently.” When you know there will be a dinner at church, take a purse full of crackers or something and let them snack if they can’t wait. But don’t make guest and elderly follow the kids. And parents- one side note on manners at church dinners – don’t allow your little ones to paw every boiled egg on the platter and then put them back. Also, don’t allow them to fill up a plate so full that there is no way they are even coming close to eating all of that. Be considerate. Be thoughtful. Treat all people, guest and members alike, with Christian hospitality. Part Two on hospitality in the home will follow this article.