Heart of Hospitality

The next heart we see as we travel on our journey through scripture is the "heart of hospitality".

Genesis 18:5 says: "And I will fetch a morsel of bread and comfort ye your hearts. After that ye shall pass on, for therefor are ye come to your servant.” And they said, “So do, as thou hast said.”

In this passage, three men appear to Abraham and Sarah. It ends up being God and two angels. They have arrived to prepare the way for the announcement of the upcoming birth of their baby. So Abraham prepares bread for his guests. What God is saying is, give to your neighbors, friends, family, from a giving heart. A heart of serving.

When seeking to understand scripture, the resource that I use is Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary. It was the First American Dictionary. The plumbline for all dictionaries since:

HOSPITAL'ITY, n. [L. hospitalitas.] The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.

Most of my life I have struggled with being a gracious host. Why? you ask. Because I want my house to be perfect. My yard to be perfect. The food to be perfect. I get myself so tied up in knots, that I am not good for my family, my guests, or God. Ultimately, people will sense how you feel, more than "everything being perfect." If I am thinking about my guests comfort, refreshment, and lovingly compassionate to them, then I can take my eyes off me, my house, and the dust and dirt that may be on the floor (it mortifies me), but they honestly do not care.

Scripture is so full of hospitality instructions:

Hebrews 13:2 ESV: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

1 Peter 4:9 ESV Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Romans 12:13 ESV Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Father, I know you care about my heart above all else. Help my heart to first be submitted to you. Then to serving. Help me lay down my insecurities and just love those you bring to our doors. Help me seek others out, who need a piece of bread, in love. Help me be hospitable.