Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Heb. 13:2)
It was eleven o’clock at night and my car was in the repair shop. I was in college, traveling with a girlfriend, and we had no credit card and very little money. The car was unreliable, and we had over a hundred miles to travel to our homes. The young repairman recognized our situation and called his wife to ask if we could spend the night. When we arrived, his wife met us at the door with a welcoming smile and ushered us into their small home. They insisted we take their bedroom, and they slept on the hide-a-way bed in the living room. In the morning, we were served a bountiful breakfast and sent on our way. Now that is hospitality!
Hebrews describes this kind of hospitality. We were definitely not angels, but we were in need. Every action of their hospitality was done with selfless generosity and compassion. Isn’t this what the writer of Hebrews is describing? Have a bed ready for a stranger. Have a meal available for those in need. Fling your doors wide showing others their value as persons created by God. And do all this in love, the kind of love that only comes from God—unconditional love.
That happened 46 years ago, and I remember it like yesterday. Today, my home is often open to others, because providing hospitality keeps on giving love.
Show Christ to someone by providing big-hearted hospitality.
Gena Duncan teaches Bible classes in her church. She and her husband spend summers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and winters in Naples, Florida.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
