The Attribute of Hospitality

Reson and I had the privilege this Friday to house the Christian hip-hop artist Manafest. All of the youth groups in our area pitched in to help bring him to our town. This is the second time we have had Chris in the area, but this time we had the honor of having his band with him. It was a great time to get know these guys who truly love God. Chris is a meek man that has a wonderful heart. Travis is a ball of energy and fun to be around (they all were). Mike is one that seems quiet, but a great guy to sit and talk to. If you are looking for an alternative to the bad messages that hip-hip in the secular world offers, I highly recommend these guys.

All this to say that the bible passage that I have been stuck on lately has been Romans 12:9-21

Marks of the True Christian

 ⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." ²⁰To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I look at it everyday, and think what can I do to make this list a reality. One that I want to show more (and not just with our youth group but with others) is "seek to show hospitality."


How often do we do that? Do we shut our homes off to people? Do we only open them to people we know and like? Will we open them up to people we really aren't sure about?

Do you have the marks of a Christian? If so, are you missing some of them? How can you make them apart of your life?