On the 24th of December it was 4 years since I became friends with a family through which God profoundly changed my life. It was first time when I stayed on a winter break at my university in December 2009. My friend Nicu and I didn’t go home for this break for different reasons, but we felt the same when the dormitories became empty – we felt lonely and weren’t that much into Christmas mood.
Couple days before Christmas Eve we received an email that the family of our psychology professor would like to invite students, who stayed for winter break, into their house for Christmas Eve. We came that day and met the Gaiduk’s family. In fact, Nicu and I were the only students who showed up that day at their house, and we were so glad! Julia, our professor, and her husband Roman greeted us with the warmness of their house and their hearts. I felt totally in The family. That day our friendship began. Since then I was in that house dozens of times with different occasions. Sometimes it was a special dinner, sometimes it was a spontaneous invitation for baked potatoes, sometimes it the small group, and sometimes it was late tea after the small group. But every time I felt warmness of their house and warmness of their hearts.
So this week I challenge you to open the doors of your house and the doors of your heart. Invite people to your home, and invite them in your heart, serve them with what you have.
Couple days before Christmas Eve we received an email that the family of our psychology professor would like to invite students, who stayed for winter break, into their house for Christmas Eve. We came that day and met the Gaiduk’s family. In fact, Nicu and I were the only students who showed up that day at their house, and we were so glad! Julia, our professor, and her husband Roman greeted us with the warmness of their house and their hearts. I felt totally in The family. That day our friendship began. Since then I was in that house dozens of times with different occasions. Sometimes it was a special dinner, sometimes it was a spontaneous invitation for baked potatoes, sometimes it the small group, and sometimes it was late tea after the small group. But every time I felt warmness of their house and warmness of their hearts.
So this week I challenge you to open the doors of your house and the doors of your heart. Invite people to your home, and invite them in your heart, serve them with what you have.
Here are some Bible verses that will help you:
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:34)
He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14)
[about true fast] Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:7)
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:34-46)
I hope all these words will inspire you to take on this challenge. I also found a great article on Biblical hospitality. I encourage you to read it. HERE
Author explains very well what is being hospitable.
Try it. Try to live out the Word of God. Share this challenge with your friends, and please tell me how did it go cause I will have more for you in a week or two.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:34)
He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14)
[about true fast] Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:7)
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:34-46)
I hope all these words will inspire you to take on this challenge. I also found a great article on Biblical hospitality. I encourage you to read it. HERE
Author explains very well what is being hospitable.
Try it. Try to live out the Word of God. Share this challenge with your friends, and please tell me how did it go cause I will have more for you in a week or two.