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Abraham’s servant Eliezer traveled hundreds of miles in the desert climate. As he prayed beside a town well, the lovely Rebekah appeared. After first drawing water from the cistern to satisfy his thirst—and even taking care of the camels’ thirst—Rebekah respectfully answered the man’s questions regarding who she was and whether her family had a place for him to stay.
In her welcoming way, Rebekah replied with her name and an invitation for food, lodging, and fodder for the animals. Inside Rebekah’s family home, Eliezer would be the recipient of assistance, refreshment, shelter, and rest.
Do you see your home as a gift from God to be used for the comfort and well-being of others? A Christian home is earth’s sweetest picture of heaven and a welcome relief in our stressed and weary society. Many folks are especially lonely during the holidays. A question to ask ourselves in this holiday season is, “Who can I open my arms and my heart and my home to?”
Consider opening your home and inviting people over to share your holiday meal with you. If the people you invite over for Thanksgiving Day aren’t available, why not deliver a meal to them the next day? Or freeze small portions to send home with them the next time they visit your home. It may be that you live by yourself; pray about hosting a potluck to fill your table with smiling faces and full hearts…including your own!
As you open your home, offer a listening ear, an encouraging word, and a heartfelt prayer to those in need. Hospitality is a matter of the heart—your heart. All who enter your door offer you opportunities to minister. Welcome them into your home sweet home—a home where Jesus lives in the heart of the hostess.
RESPOND
God, guide me toward chances to minister through neighborly kindness and hospitality. Help me open up my heart and home to people who are a part of my world. Give me a servant’s perspective in all that I do. Amen.
RENEWING RESOURCES 
A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George—As you embrace God's plans for you, you will find real purpose in a life of prayer and practicing God's priorities as you become A Woman After God's Own Heart®.
REFLECT
Ask yourself, “Who can I open my arms and my heart and my home to?”Then, talk to your family and pray together about making plans to open your home.
REMEMBER
Hospitality is a matter of the heart—your heart.
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
When something difficult happens in your life, are you ever tempted to ask, “What good could come out of this?” The event looks like a disaster. It feels like a disaster. Therefore, we quickly conclude, it is a disaster! But God did not forget His people who were suffering in Babylon. And, my friend, He won’t forget you!
Too many times in the past I’ve told others “I’m fine” in order to hide my pain and sorrows from them. The truth is, my thoughts pulled me down so far that, in private, tears regularly streamed down my face. Are you constantly thinking negative thoughts? Being a woman after God’s own heart is all about “minding your mind.”
As a young mother, I endeavored to “train a child in the way he should go,” so that “when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). A decade later, however, I wasn’t reaping the results I had expected. Angrily, I said to God, “But this isn’t the way it was supposed to be! This isn’t the way it went for this family here or that family over there. And this isn’t the way it was supposed to be for my family!”