Be Hospitable

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. – 1 Peter 4:9-10 
 
Do you know what it means to be hospitable? It means to open your home. Open your home and do it without grumbling. Now, you might be thinking, why would someone grumble about being hospitable to someone? Why did Peter feel the need to write this? 
 
Remember, they didn’t have many hotels back in biblical times. There weren't any Marriotts or Fairfield Inns when Simon Peter was writing this letter. They had to find other places to stay. No award points were given. Instead, people would often open their homes to travelers. That is what people did. So as he wrote today’s key verses, Simon Peter was implying that you need to open your house to allow people to stay there, and to do so with a good attitude, without grumbling.  
 
Do you know why? Because opening the door to your home would open the door for evangelism. Have you ever thought that if someone came and stayed at your house, you would have time with them? You would have breakfast with them, maybe lunch, and possibly dinner with them. That would give you multiple opportunities to find out where they are in their life and in their walk with God.  
 
With this in mind, Peter is saying, as you open your house, there will be opportunities to share Christ with those you invite into your home. So do it with a good attitude and treat them the way Jesus would so that you might be able to share Christ with them not only with your words but also with your actions.