Category: Hospitality

In Pursuit of the “Good Life”

The “good life”…

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My “good life”

How would you define it? To have the “good life” do you need more money, power, and influence…or do need comfort and ease…peace and quiet?  I am definitely more of a “peace and comfort” type when it comes to pursuing my “good life”.

No matter where you find yourself between these two extremes, the reality is that we are all pursuing something in our desire to have a “good life”.

Would it surprise you to know that God wants us to pursue things… “with intense effort and with definite purpose or goal.”[1] Let’s look below at what God says about pursuing through the New Testament writers.

… pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Romans 14:19

…pursue hospitality.   Romans 12:13 net

Pursue love…  1 Corinthians 14:1

…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.  1 Timothy 6:11

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.                                                                                                                                                           Hebrews 12:14

He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.  1 Peter 3:11

So if you were making a list. You would need to include:

love, peace, faith, righteousness, godliness, sanctification,

 building up one another, perseverance and gentleness

…hospitality.

Does anything on the list surprise you? You might have expected the commands to pursue love, peace, and faith. But what about hospitality? Does pursuing a godly “good life”mean I need to pursue hospitality?

If you have been reading my blog lately you will have read of my struggles with hospitality (Welcome Stranger) and lessons I am learning about hospitality and love (Learning to love like that…). I think we need to view hospitality as the open door for us to pursue the things of God.

Such as peace with our enemies…

But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Romans 12:20

to build up another in need of encouragement…

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.Ephesians 4:29

to show gentleness to one in need…

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.Galatians 6:1-2

to have our own faith strengthened.

…that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. Romans 1:12

Make today the day you to pursue hospitality as you pursue the things of God.

[1] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 662). New York: United Bible Societies.

Learning to love like that…

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-29

How can I learn to love God like that? heart-1-300x225Is loving God the same as obeying Him…following a “do this…not that” set of rules. Or would such total way of loving God come as an outgrowth of my relationship with Him? As I seek to know Him better (through His word) and learn to trust and rely Him (through prayer) my love for God grows even deeper in my heart, soul and mind.

Could that also be true for loving my neighbor as myself? Instead of keeping a set of “this is how you love” rules, is it through developing a relationship with my neighbor? Maybe…but how can I have that kind of relationship?

Have you ever considered that’s God’s plan for us to learn to love our neighbors as ourselves is through hospitality? Think about this…the three key verses about hospitality are paired with the call to love.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.     Romans 12:9-13

Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 1 Peter 4:8-9

It is through hospitality I learn to love my neighbors down the street, those sitting next to me at church,  and the strangers God brings into my life.

Hospitality doesn’t start with the house or the meal (although they are both important aspects). Hospitality starts when we take time to notice the people God has placed in our lives. Hospitality continues when we began to pray for them. Hospitality grows as we engage them in a conversation and genuinely listen to them. Every act of hospitality may not include a meal in your home, but every act of hospitality should be done out of love…love for our neighbors and love for our God.