1 Peter 4:9 - Hospitality

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

I forgot to mention that last week’s instruction to love one another deeply is the third of Peter’s Ten Commandments. Today we’ll look at number 4.

In Peter’s day, there were no Holiday Inns, Motel 6, or even Marriott’s. There were a very small number of inns where people could spend the night when traveling (the phrase, “for there was no room in the inn” comes to mind). Early church members were called to open their homes for Christian travelers. Sometimes the travelers were preachers like Paul or Peter, other times it was just some guy who needed to get from Bethany to Damascus.

These travelers would show up at a Christian’s door, often unannounced, with a letter of reference from a friend or a church leader saying, “This guy is okay, please let him stay with you.” When this happened, it was your job to welcome this person, or persons, into your home and offer them the best hospitality you could. It was an act of service that was seldom convenient, always a lot of work, and a complete disruption of your home and family. As most acts of service are…

Housing Christian travelers isn’t a common practice today; so how do we offer non-grumbling hospitality? Well, I think we offer hospitality by opening our lives as the New Testament Christians opened their homes. We should be the first to welcome the new person; we should be the first to befriend the outcast, and the first to help those who find themselves in trouble.

Hospitality means much more than throwing parties for your friends. To offer hospitality means that we are to show kindness to those who need it. Think of the word “hospital” when you think of Christian hospitality. People go to the hospital for many different reasons: to have a baby, to have tests run, for injuries, for illnesses, and a hundred different reasons.

Our hospitality should be just as varied. To be hospitable, we are to be agents of God’s healing to those who are hurting. We are to give our resources to help those in need. We are to provide a place for people to stay when they’re passing through town. We are to be a friend, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on for someone who is hurting – even if they are a stranger. It’s a big job!

Finally, Peter calls us to offer hospitality without grumbling. That is even a bigger job. I can work and be nice and sacrifice my stuff – but to do so without complaining is often beyond my ability. Only the Spirit of God can change our hearts to the point that we are happy to be put out by the needs of others.

As God loves a cheerful giver, so He commands us to offer hospitality without grumbling. You can do it – in His strength!

“Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thorn bush has roses.” – Proverb