The Shunamite Woman: Cultivating a Heart of HospitalityНамуна

Hospitality: A Spiritual Discipline

In the utmost sense, hospitality is a spiritual discipline. We practice it to remind our hearts of the gospel. As Christians, the greatest example of hospitality is found in Jesus. When we were strangers, Christ welcomed us in. He invited us into his household to become a part of his family. And because he suffered outside the gate for us and put Himself last, we were able to enter in and become a part of the family of God.

One of the reasons we have spiritual disciplines like fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and, yes, hospitality is because they are ways to instill our beliefs into our hearts. It’s one thing to intellectually acknowledge something as good and another to do it. Spiritual disciplines are what help us live out of our beliefs from our hearts and not out of compulsion or guilt. Spiritual disciplines provide a way of preaching the gospel to ourselves and reminding our hearts of the truth. Exercising spiritual disciplines helps our hearts align with what our heads already know.

Hospitality is a type of spiritual discipline that the Bible repeatedly illustrates and commands followers of Christ to exercise because it is a living epistle of God’s love, sacrifice, and humility. It provides a Biblical model for fostering community and is, therefore, vitally important to develop as a spiritual practice. If we let it, hospitality can become a joy-filled way to share the gospel with others and see lives transformed through the community it creates.

Reflection Questions

• How can you cultivate hospitality as a spiritual discipline in your life today?
• What is one practical step you can take?