Hospitality

                Hospitality is a willingness to share, with discernment, what Elohim has given us, including our family, home, finances, and food. It is an attitude of stewardship, where we do not own anything because we are merely the caretaker for the real owner, Elohim. He desires us to share His stuff, and we comply out of reverence and gratitude to Him. In relationships it is honoring the boundaries of others and sharing all we have without strings attached

 Matt 25:34-36

34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 Demonstrated hospitality is really an act of righteousness:

 Matt 25:37-40

37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Master, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

 Unfriendliness, Inhospitality, Animosity, and being Annoyed, are the opposites. These ill-begotten feelings will allow you to push others away, and give up precious friendships and opportunities for personal growth through networking, connections, and fellowship. These are rotten fruits of egocentricity, as you only see the world as it revolves around you, and you miss seeing the value of others. With this attitude, you will not develop good friendships or be effective in the assembly, neighborhood, or workplace. And the scriptures testify that an inhospitable attitude does have consequences.

 Matt 25:41-45

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Master, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'  45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

 The Scriptures make it clear that offering hospitality is a moral imperative and it is an act in which we get to emulate or copy the actions of our Father Yahweh; hence we become Yahweh like. We remember that the Israelites were once strangers and refugees who were taken in by Elohim:

 Deut 10:19-22

19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. 20 Fear Yahweh your Elohim and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise; he is your Elohim, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. 22 Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now Yahweh your Elohim has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

 We as believers must exemplify this Yahwhistic characteristic and it must go beyond our borders, our families friends and assemblies:

 Lev 19:33-34

33 "'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

 Notice that Yahshua also encourages us to love and to show hospitality to one another as hospitality and love go hand in hand:

 Mark 12:32-33

32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that Elohim is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

 The Greek word xenos means "stranger", but also "guest" and "host". From xenos comes the New Testament word for hospitality: philoxenia which means a love of the guest/stranger or enjoyment of hosting guests. This act of love is something that we are encourage to practice:

Rom 12:9-13 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving Yahweh. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with Elohim's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Although there is no Hebrew word for Hospitality given to us in the OT, there are hundreds of examples given to us so that we can learn what hospitality is really all about. In addition we are told in many cases that Yahweh himself is very hospitable and he expects us to be the same:

 Deut 10:18 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

 Lev 19:10 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

 Charity is exemplified and also demonstrated when are hospitable to those in need:

 Lev 25:35-38 35 "'If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your Elohim, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. 37 You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. 38 I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your Elohim.

 True hospitality is demonstrated when we expect nothing in return!

 Luke 11:37-41 37 When Yahshua had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee, noticing that Yahshua did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. 39 Then Yahweh said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give what is inside [the dish] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

 To the believer hospitality should be a sense of duty, done with love and respect for others. In addition the guest should also be willing to demonstrate hospitality to others.

 We need to do unto others as we would like them to do unto us but again, without expecting anything in return.

 Luke 6:32-36

32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that.   34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 When we practice hospitality, we are in obedience to Torah and thereby obedience to the Most High, Yahweh and his loving son Yahshua. Yahshua will reward us according to what we have done; he will share his reward with us!

 Rev 22:12-13 12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

 Halleluyah!