‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Let’s do an Advent check-in. How has your rejoicing through the Christmas season been? Today is the third Sunday of Advent which is also referred to as “Gaudete Sunday.” The Latin meaning of Gaudete is “rejoice.” Deborah shared on Gaudete Sunday a few years ago, which you can read by clicking the link. Her focus was on the verses that followed in Philippians 6-7. She shared about peace by taking our worries to God through prayer in the midst of our busy Christmas season. 

For today I want to focus on the second part of two key verses. According to the dictionary, gentleness is the quality of being kind, tender, and mild-mannered. Take a moment to think about the tenderness of baby Jesus. We should offer that same tenderness to others through a gentle spirit. We can’t be grouchy and rejoicing at the same time, right? I encourage us all to relax and really enjoy this week as we prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Let’s pray. Dear God, may the tender, gentle Spirit of Jesus shine through me today. When I start to get grouchy, help me to turn it into a rejoicing attitude of Christ. When others are grouchy towards me, guide me in showing kindness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

John 3:16 NIV — For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This week our subject has been hospitality. We have brainstormed ways to practice hospitality and asked God to lay on our hearts specific people He is calling us to reach. As we finish on this Friday, let’s examine our hospitality towards Jesus. 

Today’s scripture reminds us of the sacrifice that was made for you and I to be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life. Jesus’ sacrifice of love is the ultimate act of hospitality. He is the bread broken for you and I. Have you reciprocated? Have you invited Jesus into your life? Are you sharing life with Jesus?  

God loves you. He wants to have a relationship with you. If you haven’t already, open the door and invite Him in. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to save me. Help me to let my guard down, open my heart, and invite You in. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
***If you would like to talk with someone about inviting Christ into your life, you may contact us through WordPress, Facebook, Instagram, or email. waterwalkers29@gmail.com

Acts 2:42-47 NIV — They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Today’s scripture is the epitome of Christian hospitality. Early Christians exemplified living in harmony and sharing life with others. Do you invite others into your life? How do you share life with others? Breaking bread together, in other words eating a meal together, is one way to share life with others. While today’s world is busy and our schedules are hectic, we have many avenues to break bread with others. If gathering at your home isn’t an option, you could meet at a coffee shop, restaurant, or ice cream shop.

Spend some time brainstorming a list of people you could be intentional about reaching out to share your life with by breaking bread together. Reach out to one of those people and make a plan. Practice hospitality and living in harmony.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for all the Christian friends in my life. Lay upon my heart those that You would have me contact to break bread with as I learn more about practicing hospitality and living in harmony. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

1 Peter 4:9-11 NIV — Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

A pineapple has been deemed a symbol of hospitality. In early America the Native Americans would place a pineapple outside their hut if they were receiving visitors. Even today, in many hotels and inns, a pineapple is carved on a sign outside establishments. A carved pineapple or a facsimile of one can be found carved in headboard, on bed posters, or on armoires. In dining rooms, pineapples can be found on the backs of chairs, on wallpaper, cupboard doors, and woven dining linen. Casts in the shape of pineapples are used as hot plates or on the end of silverware, all to impress upon guests that they are welcome.

What signs or symbols represent Christian hospitality to you? Christians often wear crosses or a fish symbol. Click here to read about the Christian meaning of the fish symbol. Jesus offered the greatest act of hospitality through the sacrifice of His body and blood on our behalf. 

Examine symbols you have in your home or items you wear that represent Christ to others. Do you display or wear these symbols with pride, eager to talk with others about the Christian meaning of the symbols? Today be intentional about wearing a Christian symbol and eagerly await the opportunity to offer Christian hospitality.

Let’s pray. Dear God, open my eyes to ways I display symbols of Christian hospitality in my home or items I wear. May I be ready to share Your hospitality with others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hebrews 13:2 NIV — Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Hospitality calls us to love everyone, including strangers. What a phenomenal thought! When we show genuine hospitality to a stranger we may be helping an angel.

Click here to read Genesis 18. In this passage Abraham extended hospitality to strangers who turned out to be angels.

Hospitality is the Velcro that joins us together. Hospitality comes from deep within your soul. It is a symptom of the joy that is in your heart. Some ways to offer hospitality to strangers include; volunteering in your community, giving or helping with a Backpack Buddies or a food pantry mission, or giving out fruit or water at a local marathon. When you hold the door open for someone, help an elderly person with their groceries, offer to babysit for free, buy the person’s food behind you in the drive-through lane, or any act of kindness, the reaction is almost always the same: thankfulness and appreciation. Showing hospitality can also be as simple as smiling at others you pass and perhaps listening to a stranger who opens up to share a life story or struggles with you in the middle of the grocery store.

Do you offer hospitality to strangers? What ways have you shown hospitality? Are you willing to take on a new way of being hospitable? Make a list of ways you can intentionally practice hospitality to strangers.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the opportunity to entertain angels by offering hospitality to strangers. Show me ways I can be an instrument of hospitality to others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway

Luke 10:38 NIV — As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

When I first think of hospitality I think of inviting others into my home. The story of Mary and Martha in the Bible is a perfect example of hospitality. Click here to read the entire passage of Luke 10:28-42 NIV.

In the NIV version of today’s scripture it says “Martha opened her home to him,” however the Message version says “Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home.” Martha practiced hospitality.

If you have followed our blog for more than a year, you will recall that Julie and I choose a word of the year each December to focus on throughout the next year. In 2018 my word of the year was hospitality. That year I made it a goal to open our home up to others to share a meal, play family games, or to roast marshmallows around our fire pit.

Do you open your home and welcome others in? Do you like to entertain company? Is this a way you practice hospitality?

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the example of hospitality set by Martha. When opportunities arise may I always welcome others and make them feel at home. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

@biblegateway