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b'When we lived in Guinea, West Africa, we witnessed the beauty of\\nhospitality. There\\u2019s even a proverb that states: \\u201cAn unexpected visitor is\\nlike an unexpected rain.\\u201d\\n.\\nWe lived through two seasons each year: six months of rainy season, and six\\nmonths of dry season. We always loved the \\u201cmango rains\\u201d\\u2014the rare,\\nunexpected downpours that came out of nowhere during dry season. Children\\ncould be seen running through the rain, fully dressed, laughing with\\ndelight.\\n.\\nHospitality comes more naturally to some of us than it does to others. When\\nyou hear a knock on your door, but you\\u2019re not expecting anyone, how do you\\nrespond? Does it make you excited, or do you find yourself thinking\\nsomething like: \\u201cWho could that be at this hour?\\u201d \\u201cDid anyone call to say\\nthey were coming?\\u201d \\u201cEveryone hide and be quiet\\u2014maybe they will go away!\\u201d\\n.\\nIn the Bible, God repeatedly calls His people to practice hospitality.\\nThankfully, He also gives us the ability to do so through the Holy Spirit.\\nSo, how can we practice hospitality? The Greek word translated\\n\\u201chospitality\\u201d in the Bible is \\u201cphiloxenia,\\u201d which basically means \\u201cloving\\nstrangers\\u201d because Philo=Love and Xenia=Stranger. Not at all\\nlike \\u201cxenophobia,\\u201d which means fear of strangers or outsiders!\\n.\\nIn Matthew 25, Jesus says that when He returns bodily to earth, He will\\ncommend His people for inviting Him in when He was a stranger. But when\\nthey ask, \\u201cLord\\u2026 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in\\u2026?\\u201d\\n(verse 37-38), He will answer, \\u201cTruly I tell you, whatever you did for one\\nof the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me\\u201d (verse\\n40). So, when we welcome strangers (or outsiders), we show our love for\\nJesus!\\n.\\nAs Christians, we can show hospitality to others because God has shown the\\ngreatest hospitality to us. Through Jesus\\u2019s death and resurrection, God\\nhas welcomed us into His family! Though we used to be outsiders and\\nstrangers, we are now \\u201cfellow citizens with God\\u2019s people\\u201d (Ephesians 2:19).\\nFrom the abundance of love that God has given us, we can share with others.\\n.\\nWhen you think of practicing hospitality, think of this picture: children\\nstanding in the rain, arms out, heads back, eyes closed, mouths open\\u2014sheer\\njoy! \\u2022 Daniel Dore\\n.\\n\\u2022 Can you think of a time someone showed you hospitality\\nor philoxenia? What did they do? \\n.\\n\\u2022 According to today\\u2019s Bible passages, what might it look like to \\u201cpractice\\nhospitality\\u201d? \\n.\\nShare with the Lord\\u2019s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans\\n12:13 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nLev.19.34|Rom.12.9-Rom.12.13|1Pet.4.8-1Pet.4.10'