1 Peter 4:9 (NKJV) Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
We are too busy. Me too. It can take the joy out of being hospitable. Just the thought of cramming in another dinner, or inviting someone over may be a source of even more stress for a lot of people.
The easy answer that “life coaches” and sugary, folksy preachers throw out to us is “just slow down, enjoy life… blah, blah, blah”. That sounds great but for most people it simply isn’t realistic. Kids, sports, church, school, work… life is full and some best-selling, sun-shiney advice isn’t going to magically change things nor should it. THIS is our life in this time in this culture.
So what now? The answer is to obey Scripture no matter what our situation. If you choose a busy, full life (and you do CHOOSE it, no one forces it on you), then the solution is to obey anyway: be hospitable without grumbling. Be hospitable with a good attitude, a thankful heart, with expectations of enjoyment and blessing.
The command is “be hospitable without grumbling” not “be hospitable without grumbling if you have an easy going life with lots of time for others and everything in your life is roses and puppies”. Obedience is the primary indicator of true salvation and always a source of blessing, especially when it involves a sacrifice on our part.
Think It Over: While life is very full and busy for us these days, that doesn’t mean we don’t actively consider pruning things from our life especially if we can verify that an activity or obligation is keeping us from serving the Lord.