A Young Woman's Hospitality

"Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

And the servant ran to meet her, and said, 'Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.'

And she said, 'Drink, my lord': and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

And when she had done giving him drink, she said, 'I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.'

And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; and said, 'Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?'

And she said unto him, 'I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.' She said moreover unto him, 'We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.'

And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD."



I love this story. Not just because Rebekah's kindness ensures her a rich husband, either. ;)
Rebekah was an unmarried women with no house of her own~ however, she offered what she had to a stranger who was needy.


>She served him
>She served his camels
> She offered him shelter
> She poured out kindness and courtesy


But did these reflections point to Rebekah? Who were they to glorify?
ALL the glory was God's. Remember what Eliezar prayed for:

"O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master."

God answered the servant's prayer, miraculously, generously, and beyond what Eliezar had hoped for. Rebekah's willingness was used by the Lord in a way that she never could have expected!

May the hospitality we offer be a gift from God to those we minister to! No service is too small~ all Rebekah offered to do was give water to a thirsty man.

Given to Hospitality - A Prayer

LORD,
Thank You for having given Yourself in intimate,
inexplicable hospitality.
You have been the Host to all creation.

Without a dwelling, You have contained the
whole world and habited Yourself in the winds,
the corners, and the depths, inviting us to be
at home with You. Beneath the shadow of Your
wing You bid us hide, and in the depths of Your
being You shelter and refuge us.

Without meat You have nourished us.
Without beverage You have refreshed us.
By Your every Word came sustenance.
On bread and water without price have we been fed.
You have been manna in the wilderness of our lives.

Without a table You have banqueted us,
inviting us, yea, to be married unto You.
Over our heads flies the banner of Your love.
We are entertained with the mysteries of faith,
the songs of the Spirit, holy laughter.
You have garmented us in festal righteousness.
As we wandered in wastelands,
You sought us before we called.

You extended eager welcome
though we had scarcely knocked.
You embraced us when we were filthy
and oppressed and undeserving.
you are the Samaritan Who passes not by,
Who finds lodging for us in the warm inns by the way.
You bake fish over coals, waiting for us,
though we have forgotten to wait for You.
With broken hands You break the loaf of blessing.
Those same wounds caress our leprous spirits.
You do not fear to openly accept the intimate worship of our
harlot hearts.
You are the Host of all mankind.
Lifted up, suffering, without breath, You yet
extend greeting to all the masses,
"Come unto Me...
come...
come..."

You give us the mystery of Your presence in this supper of the
ages, this remembrance of Your ultimate hospitality.
O Lord,
Make my hospitality as unto Yours.
Be forever my archetype of endeavor,
my firstfruit of harvested goodness:
Love for the battered, misused child,
Grace to bind running ulcers of flesh and soul,
Eagerness for the wealthy without servility,
And for the poor without superiority.

Through eternity You have been and will be
utterly hospitable.
help me,
poor, faltering, unfeeling me,
to be like You,
with breath-beat and soul-heart
poured out
emptied
opened.
Help me
to be given to hospitality.

--Karen Mains, from her book,
Open Heart, Open Home

His Hospitable Pattern: Loving and Giving

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." - 1 John 3:16

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

"Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." - Ephesians 5:1,2

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." - 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..." - Ephesians 5:25

Homelessly Hospitable

A certain scribe came and said to Jesus, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."
And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me."

This account, recorded in both Matthew 8 and Luke 9, tells me that Jesus had no earthly home where He could invite His followers to come and learn of Him and be refreshed. And yet He is the Hospitable One, our pattern for all of life. He invites us: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

I get so caught up in the externals of life. So distracted. The house, the table, the menu, the candles, the coffee, and it goes on...

The Lord Jesus shows me that hospitality is a lifestyle, not an event. It is a matter of the heart, and can be offered anywhere at anytime, because refreshing the heart of another is not necessarily confined to a particular place or time. I can share the love of Christ and allow His Spirit to meet someone's particular need through me however, whenever, wherever God provides the opportunity...hospitality is about Jesus.



Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess,
The beauty of Thy peace.
-John Greenleaf Whittier