The Heart of Hospitality

by Kaylyn
from Virtuous Daughters, April 2011~Volume 11, Number 1

Besides being an excellent ministry opportunity, hospitality provides a great foundation for building healthy Have you ever wanted to have a family ministry that was based in your own home? Look no further than your own front door! Hospitality is a fantastic way to bless others while still being able to stay at home and work together as a family. Galatians 6:10 says: “Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith.”

When we make it a priority to practice hospitality, we show kindness, love, and genuine concern for others. relationships with our family and those we serve. It grows us in our unity as a family by working together to bless others and helps us cultivate relationships with those who we are serving.

If you are feeling a bit intimidated by the thought of hospitality, perhaps you are thinking along the lines of fine china and five course dinners. But it can come in many forms. It can even be as simple as bringing dinner to a new mother or visiting a widow. Whether it’s big or small, spontaneous or planned, an act of hospitality can reflect Christ’s love in a very powerful way! When we focus on helping others and showing that we care about them through being hospitable, we can “spur others on to good works” (Hebrews 10:24) as well!

Cultivating a spirit of hospitality requires that we put others first and take our focus off our own agendas to serve others. “Let no one seek his own, but each the other’s well-being.” (1 Corinthians 10:24) It can be fun to serve others and it’s well worth the effort! The true secret to JOY is to place:
    Jesus first,
   Others second,
   Yourself last.
Putting others first helps create a joyful atmosphere. Hospitality goes hand-in-hand with servanthood because they both display love in action.

Jesus gave us an inspiring example of servanthood in hospitality when He tells us to serve without expecting to be repaid, to love because He loves—not so people will see how righteous we are and praise us for it. (Luke 14:8–14) “And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father though Him.” (Colossians 3:17)
  
One of the wonderful things about serving others is that the whole family can be involved! The excitement and anticipation of sharing good food and interesting conversation spurs our whole family to work together. In order to host another family, we organize, plan, and clean together. It’s a means of working hand-in-hand towards a shared goal. While we work towards blessing others, we receive a real sense of fun and blessing ourselves.
  
Here are a few ideas on how to cultivate a heart and home of hospitality:

• Invite a new family from church over for dinner and fellowship. What a great way to make someone feel welcome and to form new friendships!
• Look for ways to bless the people you see regularly. Strike up a conversation or inquire about others. For example, do you know the names of your neighbors?
• Meditate on and memorize verses about servanthood and hospitality so you’ll be encouraged to do good to others. (Rom. 12:13, Gal. 6:10, 1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:8, 1 Pet. 4:9, Matt. 20:26–28, 1 Cor. 10:24, Phil. 2:3–8, Heb. 13:2)
• Make it a point to bake an extra loaf of bread or batch of cookies for those around you every now and then. You might even hand them a Gospel tract and invite them to your church!
• Ask your parents what they would think about hosting a young ladies’ Bible study or neighborhood Bible club in your home.
• Make a meal for a new mother or sick family. I know from personal experience that this can be a tremendous blessing to both the family and the siblings!

Hospitality is a wonderful gift that can be a blessing to both the giver and the recipient. Opening your heart and home to others will help you grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord, your family, and friends as you continue to develop a heart of hospitality!
  
Soli Deo Gloria


Braided Dinner Bread

• 1 pkg. rapid rise yeast
• 1 tsp. salt+kosher salt          
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¼ c. oil                             
• 2 eggs+1 egg (set aside)
• 4½ c. flour             

Dissolve yeast in 1¼ c. warm water in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the salt, sugar, oil, and eggs. Add yeast mixture and stir well. Slowly add flour until you have a soft, elastic dough. Knead until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl and turn it over so that the top of the dough is greased. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise until double in volume. Cut dough in half and form each half into 3 rolls. Braid the rolls and pinch the edges. Place each loaf in a greased 9x5 bread pan and let rise until double. Brush the tops of the loaves with an egg and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Yields: Two 5x9 loaves