Recently I have been thinking about what it means to be hospitable. My mother taught me that it starts in the home. It usually includes things like asking if a guest would like something to drink, making nice conversation and always having an open door for them to return to. It is interesting how our culture never addresses the idea of hospitality that resides from the inside. This foreign idea was blooming inside my mind last night as i was going to sleep, thinking about the church I am going to be working with Garth at in Jamestown. I thought of the people we are going to be serving and how the congregation simply needs a loving shepherd who welcomes them with open and un-judgmental arms. As this idea developed it dawned on me that we are the body of Christ that has been promised the seal of the Holy Spirit which dwells in us as told in Ephesians 1: 13-14 -
“13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory”
This idea that we have the Holy Spirit on the inside of us brought me back to the idea of hospitality. We are told by God that hospitality to our brothers and sisters is a vital part of having a character that reflects Christ, but what about the environment that we create for the Holy Spirit. On the outside we may present ourselves in a very calm and collected manner, but on the inside we are hopeless, striving and selfish. Having the Holy Spirit live in you and being hospitable to the Holy Spirit is an uncommon idea taught in church. I am not saying that you have to have everything together to have the Holy Spirit reside in you, but wouldn’t it be nice if you treated him as a guest, and made the environment in your heart easy for him to work with as opposed to hard and callus. When we dwell on the love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control that Paul talks about in Galatians we allow for our hearts to exude hospitality and an inviting place for the Holy Spirit to dwell. When he lives in us, he changes us, and the more he changes the temperature of hospitality on the inside of us, the more we will be inclined to change the way we treat and serve others on the outside I believe that through that welcoming and gentle nature towards the Holy Spirit in our heart, we inherit Gods kingdom. The Holy Spirit is a prized possession that those in the family of God receive. Make sure and treat him with even more respect and reverence than you would a guest in your home, he deserves. Can i take your coat?
