https://odb.org/2024/08/20/our-impact-on-others
I have a first cousin who has a house with two self-contained sections, and she used the smaller but separate section as a guest house. When my parents visited their hometown, they used to stay at the guest house. My wife and I have stayed there once many years back. Later, I heard that she and her husband used to host preachers speaking at her local church and passing missionaries at her guest house, so much so that her husband and her later came to become missionaries themselves! A living testimony of the goodness of God and, in their case, their kind hospitality, genuine and sincere desire to bless impacted others as well as themselves!
If we are able and have extra room, it is an excellent opportunity to host mighty men and women of God who are serving Him in ministry. In the olden days, during the time of the Apostles, inns were scarce and less safe. Thus, hospitality for passing ministers was more of a necessity. Nowadays, I believe churches are more inclined to host ministers and missionaries in hotels, and with Airbnb, there is an abundance of paid accommodation. Depending on the preference of the guests for privacy or fellowship, the latter will usually benefit the hosts as I believe the glory of God in the lives of the ministers will rub on to the hosts as much as the hospitality will be a blessing to the ministers. It is thus a mutually beneficial interaction to the glory of God, as is evident in the life of my first cousin.
The message this morning is to live a life that impacts others, and hospitality is one of the means to do so. When we are kind and considerate, like the professor in today’s ODB life story, who reserved and set aside food for a latecomer; it may have a lasting lifelong impact on others. But additionally, when we are kind, considerate, and hospitable, we ourselves will somehow be impacted by the Lord in terms of our strengthened faith, in our spiritual experience and the blessings that flow from heaven.
Ronnie's Thoughts 