The following is a transcript of the video above, edited for readability.
Yes, I'm very passionate about hospitality. We try to practice that in our home quite a bit, I think for a number of reasons. We were shown that example growing up, both of us, my husband and I, were both raised in homes where hospitality was shown and practiced. And then early on in our marriage and our seminary days, when my husband was a student at seminary, gracious hospitality was shown to us on a number of occasions. And the Lord has always been good to give us good examples of that in our lives. And then I would also take that back to the gospel. And my favorite passage on that is Ephesians two. And just remembering that in verse 12 and 13, "That at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
And then in 19, "Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and the members of the household of God." By the blood of Christ I have been brought near and I was not always near. I was once a stranger. And God has shown me the ultimate love in hospitality through the gospel, through His son. And so I joyfully can give that. Now is that always easy for me? Absolutely not. And I think I need a pair of glasses with printed inside the glasses first Peter 4:9, "Be hospitable without grumbling," as I'm standing, cleaning up dirty dishes late one night after my company leaves, or as I'm changing the sheets and vacuuming the floor and getting ready for a next wave of company coming in.
I think that I say that I say that to myself probably more than any verse in the Bible, "Be hospitable without grumbling. Be hospitable without grumbling." But I can't tell you the joy that we have had as a family. Our four children have experienced so many wonderful people, whether it's a missionary family passing through for one night on their way back to the mission field, or if it's newcomer to our church who is in need of hearing the gospel, or if it's just someone who needs a place to stay for a while, who's really not in a good state in life.
And it has just been such a blessing for us as a family to give and to experience that. And remembering that it isn't always easy. Things get broken, things get stained. You lose maybe some of that family time, but always taking it again back to what has been done for us, not just practically in our lives as we have been shown that, but also again, back to the cross, that I have been brought near and adopted as a child of God. And I need to be kind and show great love and hospitality to others because of that.
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(Article first published April 23, 2013)
How Do We Have a Hospitable Heart?
"But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:9 NKJV)
In our home, my wife, Cathe, is in charge of all the decor. I’ll give my input, but she makes all decisions regarding the colors of the walls, the furniture, the pictures, and so forth.
Now, I have my little department, which is anything mechanical. For instance, if we’re buying a toaster, I’m going to thoroughly research toasters. I get into those kinds of things.
But Cathe makes the decisions about the things inside the house. I’ll tell her what I think, and she decides. I just let her have her way. As a result, we have peace in the home. And by the way, we have been married for 45 years.
In the same way, we want to let the Holy Spirit have his way in our hearts. We want Him to dwell in our hearts. We want Him to be at home there and ruling there. Yet the Bible tells us there are certain sins we can commit that offend the Holy Spirit. We can grieve the Spirit. We can make the Holy Spirit sad.
The Bible says the Holy Spirit is at home in the hearts of Spirit-led believers. Romans 8:9 tells us, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you” (NKJV).
When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside you. The Bible says the Spirit convicts us, and ultimately when we believe, the Spirit seals us. Then the Bible tells us that we can be filled with the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit. All this happens to the followers of Jesus.
There’s a difference, however, between the Holy Spirit being in you and being at home in you. Is the Holy Spirit at home in your heart? Is He comfortable there? And is He ruling there?
(Excerpted from "The Hospitable Heart" by Greg Laurie. Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.)
Practicing Hospitality Before You Own A Home
I remember a few years ago I had a dream that I thought couldn’t become a reality until I had a house of my own. What was it? A chance to learn the art of hospitality.
In my mind, hospitality meant having a home of my own, welcoming people in, and having my husband grill up some killer ribs for dinner. I imagined that hospitality could not come into play until I had a house (and husband) of my own.
You may feel the exact same way. You want to practice the art of hospitality, but you feel like having a home of your own is a must. You dream of the days to come when you can run your home the way you like, decorate the way you want, cook your way, and welcome people in for a meal whenever you think it’s best.
I get it. Yet despite the fact that I am not the “lady of the house,” I’ve come to realize that hospitality is so much more than just having people over for dinner.
During one of my swinging-on-the-back-porch-sipping-sweet-tea-daydreaming moments, I had a realization: The goal of hospitality is to build relationships, love, serve, and bless those around me. Hospitality is a heart attitude that says, “I want to bless and serve you.”
That’s when it hit me: I can practice hospitality right now, as a single woman, even without a home of my own. If the goal of hospitality is to bless and serve those around me, I could make that happen. I could start building a lifestyle of hospitality right now.
Instead of waiting around, I’ve decide to practice the art of hospitality right now—and I’m inviting you to join me.
Here are five creative ways to practice hospitality before you have a home of your own.
1. Host monthly game nights.
One of my super sweet girlfriends, Liz Halcomb, is a true inspiration in the hospitality department. She’s a single girl who lives with her parents and is working her way through college. Instead of waiting to practice hospitality in the future, she’s already putting her people-loving skills to good use.
Liz is the hostess with the mostess when it comes to her monthly game nights. She began these game nights as a way to build Christian community among the young people in her area. Every month she (and her parents) invite a group of young people over for a time of fun, fellowship, and encouragement.
She took initiative, she came up with the idea, she organized and planned. And I can tell you from personal experience that her game nights are an incredible blessing to the young people in her community.
I really encourage you to consider stealing this idea for your own. Begin practicing the art of hospitality in this way. It has the potential to be a ton of fun and a huge blessing at the same time.
2. Plan brunches, lunches, or coffee dates with girls.
Fellowship with other young women is such a gift. The conversations, mutual encouragement, and delicious coffee make for the perfect blend. Often times these sweet gatherings do not happen because there isn’t someone to take the lead and plan it.
I want to encourage you to be that person. Be the one to give of your time and energy to bring young women together. This is an incredible way to love and serve the young women around you. If you want to begin practicing the art of hospitality right now, this is a great way to do it.
3. Ask your girlfriends questions, and listen.
The art of hospitality is about serving and blessing those around you. One of the best ways to show hospitality is by being a question asker and a listener. So often we are too caught up in our own lives to slow down and notice others.
I encourage you to take the time to slow down, look at those around you, and truly get to know them. Ask good questions, and listen well. Be a girl who is willing to give up her time and energy to invest into the lives around you. This is a fabulous way to practice loving, serving, and blessing those around you—and that is the core of hospitality.
4. Go out of your way to love others.
This past year my sister Kristen and I had a book launch party for the release of our book, Girl Defined: God’s Radical Design for Beauty, Femininity, and Identity. During the celebration, I noticed that several people had made big efforts to attend our launch party. Their willingness to give up their time and drive long distances meant the world to me.
I felt so loved and cared for knowing that these people gave up their time, energy, and focus for me! It was a beautiful gift of loving and serving that I will never forget. Be that kind of person. Be the kind of girl who gives freely of her time and energy to bless those around you.
5. Slow down, and give up your time.
Almost every Tuesday and Wednesday, I wake up and take one of my sisters to Starbucks for good sister convos. Almost every time, I see a sweet old man sitting in the same spot. For several months I just walked by him and didn’t say a word. And then one day I smiled at him, and he smiled back. That smile turned into a conversation, which turned into a friendship.
I no longer just walk by my sweet friend. I stop, I talk, I listen, and I ask about his wife who’s stuck at home due to poor health. A sweet friendship has developed, and I now look forward to Tuesdays and Wednesdays when I’ll get to spend a few minutes with my friend.
Do you know how many people would love to be noticed? Do you know how much a smile can mean to someone? Slow down, and take the time to get to know the people around you. Maybe it’s an elderly person at the coffee shop, maybe it’s the cashier you see every time you go to the grocery store, or maybe it’s your neighbor. You can practice giving up your time and welcoming people into your life in this way. It’s a beautiful display of hospitality you don’t want to miss.
Habits That Will Last a Lifetime
I want to challenge you to take the initiative and practice loving and serving those around you. These habits will help you develop an attitude of hospitality before you have a home of your own. You don’t have to have your own space to be hospitable!
Remember, hospitality is more about a heart for love and service, not just opening up your home and letting people in. That means that whether single or married, with a personal home or living with parents, we can all practice hospitality.
Will you join me and begin practicing the art of hospitality?
(Excerpted from "Practicing Hospitality Before You Own A Home" by Bethany Baird. This article originally appeared on Revive Our Hearts and LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com. Used with permission.)
Further Reading:
Why Hospitality is Important to the Kingdom of God
3 Things to Keep in Mind When Hospitality Is Hard
Why Hospitality and Entertaining are Not the Same Thing
3 Things You Should Know about Biblical Hospitality
Does God Call Us to Be Hospitable?
Why Hospitality is More than Entertaining (And Do We Really Have to Do This?)
5 Habits that Lead to a Hospitable Home
Photo Credit: Getty Images/jacoblund
