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Show hospitality to one another without grumbling I Peter 4:9


This Scriptural command is an easy one to obey.


At least for us Southerners, right?


Doesn't this evoke images of a tastefully decorated home, an exquisite menu, and a beautifully dressed woman with manicured nails?


In a word - NO.


I don't think that's what Scripture means. At all.



When Scripture exhorts us to "practice hospitality" (Romans 12:13) what does it mean? If it doesn't mean knocking yourself out to present a perfect picture, what, then, is it?


Just look at the word - "hospitality". It's closely related to the words "hospital", "hotel", as well as "hostel". What is the connection between these? Simply put, I think it's the idea of receiving strangers/outsiders and caring for them in such a way that they are changed from strangers into friends. The emphasis is relationship.


This is very different from entertaining, where the focus can often be on eliciting compliments for the host.....not on meeting the needs of the strangers.


Hospitality means making others feel like they "belong", like they are no longer an outsider, an alien. It has little to do with the table decorations and instead everything to do with being cared for.


And hospitality doesn't need a showcase of a home to transpire. In fact, it doesn't even need a home at all. It can be at the ball field, where the family of a new kid is hoping they can fit in. It can be in an adult Sunday School class, where a new couple visits and looks for a place to sit. It can be at the crowded Chick-fil-A, where an elderly man sits alone, trying to adjust to his new status as a widower.


Hospitality can be anywhere. In fact, we are not to simply wait for an opportunity to present itself - we are actually to be on the lookout for an outlet for our hospitable spirit! The verse in Romans that tells us to "practice hospitality" literally means "pursue hospitality". We are to seek out people to encourage, to care for, to transform from being a "hostile" into a friend.


No, this isn't an easy command to obey. We tend to prefer socializing with our friends and entertaining those we enjoy (or at least those who can benefit us). If we aren't intentional about hospitality, all those strangers remain outsiders. They miss the blessings of connection and we miss the joy of the transformation. Instead of meeting needs, we are often seeking favor.


God help us. Help us to be hospitable.


Oh, and if He does lead us to create a stunning centerpiece, to prepare a gourmet tray of goodies, and to sport a stunning new haircut, may we especially heed the last part of that verse....."without grumbling."


Ouch.

What good does religion do you?

James 1:26-27

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.


First, let's check our context. In the preceding verses (21-25), James exhorts believers to obey God's Word, clinging to it, embracing it, receiving it in the same way one would receive an organ transplant! (Although he didn't use that exact phrase....the idea is the same - make His Word a part of your life by meditating on it, memorizing it, and most of all, minding it!) James warns us that it is highly possible to merely listen to God's Word and never get around to obeying it. That, he says, is worthless. That kind of faith will do nothing to change anyone, will not transform them into the image of Christ Jesus.



However, faith that is characterized by obeying the Truth of His Word translates into big results. Verse 25 says that one who is an "effectual doer" is "blessed in what he does".


And verses 26 and 27 reveals to us some of the blessings that come: one who obeys God's Word is changed in the way she speaks, what she does, and what she loves.


1. The way she speaks. "bridle the tongue" - Able to direct the tongue in the way it should....and should not...go. Speaking words of comfort and encouragement and instruction that need to be spoken. And NOT speaking words of anger or bitterness or divisiveness. Controlling the tongue. The power of life and death are in it, so controlling it by giving life instead of death is a result of embracing God's Word.


2. What she does. Caring for those that cannot repay you, those whom the world deems unvaluable - instead of serving/giving/doing in order to be appreciated or recognized or somehow rewarded. Trademark result of being transformed into the image of Christ.


3. What she loves. To "keep onself unstained by the world" cannot happen if we love the world. If we place value on material things or the approval or men or having a position of power/influence, our life gets stained. The values of the heart show up in how we live. Our priorities. Our longings. Our responses. Do we crave attention for our physical appearance? Then that stain shows up in excessive resources being spent to obtain beauty....as well as in fear of losing the same. Do we long for recognition in the eyes of others? Then we become stained by activities that deceive us to believe they offer that approval -- things like debt to acquire "status symbols" or gossip to appear "in the know" or a frantic pace of life based on FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and especially pride at having to always appear to be right.


Receiving the Word implanted.....changes the way we speak, what we do, and what we love. Amen.


James surely packs a lot of punch into just a few words, doesn't he????

Will we pass or fail the test?

The other day as I was praying about a situation that has been on my prayer list for a loooong time, I sensed something in my spirit. Hard to explain but it was kinda like a distance. Almost a bit of standoffishness. I was perplexed but not sure what I was sensing so I moved on.

Later in the day, I was reading a sermon by John Piper and one of his subpoints pierced my heart. This was it. This was what the Holy Spirit was revealing to me earlier. I have not settled it completely yet - so far I’ve been unable to package it neatly and set on the shelf of successes. But I want to share with you in case you need to wrestle with it as well.

Piper’s message was from the book of James. He was encouraging us to stand firm in trials and to remain faithful in temptations. The premise was that God’s tests are designed to lead us into supreme happiness, not to make us stumble or struggle. Here is where God led me after reading what Piper had to say…..

James 1:12

Blessed [deeply and lastingly happy] is the man who remains steadfast under trial [testing], for when he has stood the test [been proven like gold through fire] he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

We learn from this passage that God uses tests/trials/afflictions is to make us deeply and supremely happy. These hardships provide the means for God proves us fit to receive the crown of life. Piper says “If we really believe this is how God is fitting us for eternal life — for eternal joy — would we not say, “I am blessed”? These are reasons for me to be deeply and lastingly happy.”

Tracking with him pretty well up to this point. Here is where God’s word pierced my heart. Piper poses the key question for us to ask about trials - what is being tested?

Not our faith or trust in God. Not our ability to endure. Not our theology. Nope.

It’s our love. Our love for God.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (1:12)

Those of us who love God will get the crown of life. That love is tested and proven through trials. If we ultimately pass the test, we get the crown. Pass/fail is determined by this: going through the fire of testing and loving God more on the other side. What’s being tested and refined and proven is love. Love for God. Valuing God. Enjoying God. Treasuring God. Being satisfied in God.

The Spirt probed my heart. This thing I keep praying about - am I going to grow deeper in my love for God even if He doesn’t give me what I am asking Him for? Do I love Him more than His gracious answers to my prayers?

Don’t hear what I am not saying - we are not wrong to ask Him for the desires of our heart. In fact, He invites us to do exactly that! We are not wrong to persevere prayer, asking Him for the same thing while waiting for His answer. He urges us to do that very thing!

But the question God seems to be asking me is am I going to love Him for HIMSELF? Regardless of whether His answer is yes or no, will my love for Him prove strong?

The book of James tells us that the suffering produced by trials (including the disappointment of God’s “no” answers) are designed by God to test and refine and prove the reality of our love for Him. Trials reveal the truth of what’s in our hearts. And if there is “gunk” in there, trials are the fire of opportunity for God to burn it away.

But it’s not automatic.

God gives us a choice of how to respond to trials. His Spirit reveals what’s in our heart and invites us to repent from the sin of loving something more than God. He waits patiently for us to ask Him to supply what we need, to transform our hearts to more fully love the only One who is worthy, the only One who can satisfy what we long for.

Waiting for His answers gives us to opportunity to see what is in our hearts and to press in to Him in our need. First step towards passing the test.

Next is to ask Him to help us see WHO He is. To see His beauty and His worth.

Then, to trust. To lean into Him in faith that whatever He does for us is GOOD. That we don’t know what is best for us. And, to quote Henry Blackaby, to pray this way - “God, here are my requests. The desires of my heart. But if you have something better in mind, cancel my request. I trust You.”

So, I’ll keep praying. I’ll keep looking to the Only One who can supply what I long for. And I’ll ask Him to help me keep a check on my heart. I want to pass the test with fully proven love for Him!