Cultivating a Heart of Welcome on YouVersion

Sometimes we hear the word hospitality and instantly picture a Sunday afternoon gathering around a casserole-covered kitchen table. While being hospitable can certainly contain a homemade meal, I challenge you to see the concept in a new light. 

Hospitality is the vehicle for the “welcome” we’re aiming for, and it takes on a variety of forms. 

Hospitality does more than assure us a return visit from a new friend. . .

It describes a climate. 

A vibe. 

It’s in the air. 

And yet, for those of us responsible for creating hospitable environments, we know that it doesn’t just happen.

The goal of hospitality takes an intentional mindset and a reminder from the Scriptures. 

Read my 5-day devotional on Cultivating a Heart of Welcome and be inspired to create a truly hospitable environment wherever you have influence. 

In the devotional, I focus on 5 Scripture passages that will teach us truths that will inspire us to show love and gather individuals through this lens of “welcome.” 

Here’s one example of a truth that impacts hospitality that we know to our core: 

Leaders are mood-setters. 

I once saw an interview with Tom Cruise and his co-star Emily Blunt. They were laughing as they recalled a horribly uncomfortable scene they’d shot for a movie, and Emily remembered complaining to Tom who would not take the bait and agree with her, insisting on staying positive despite the awful circumstances. In retrospect, he said that he chose to stay upbeat during the prep for that scene because: 

“If I start complaining, then it all goes down.” 

He knew his power; he was the leader—the top of the call sheet—and everyone looked to him to set the mood. 

As leaders, we set the mood in every room we enter. Consciously or subconsciously, people look to us as a barometer of how they should feel about the given circumstances. We can complain privately, but for the sake of hospitality, we need to set a faith-filled tone. 

In the uncertain times we are facing within our churches, let’s be increasingly mindful of the “welcome” we can create, whether it’s in-person or virtual. After all, the climate of hospitality can be felt no matter the distance. 

Be motivated daily to cultivate a heart of welcome when you reflect on the verses from the devotional and uncover truths like this one, and be stirred by each Scripture-inspired prayer. 

Find the devotional plan, Cultivating a Heart of Welcome: A 5-Day Study on Hospitality, in the YouVersion Bible App and be sure to share with me what resonated with you.