Leave a Legacy of Hospitality
By Rick Warren
“Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24 (NCV)
Awesome families teach their kids that they’re not the center of the universe. They teach their kids that God made them and shaped them for a mission. They model dedication, service, generosity, and prayer. Average families don’t do those things. Awesome families do.
I am the man that I am today, first of all, because of my parents. They instilled in me the value of caring about other people.
My parents didn’t have much money, but they both had the gifts of hospitality and generosity. They loved to give to others even though they didn’t have much. We lived out in the country, and my dad would plant an acre garden with all kinds of vegetables. There was no way our family could eat all that food, but he did it just so he could give it away—because he didn’t have any extra money to give. So we always planted more than we needed and then gave it away to help people in need.
Our home was constantly filled with visitors. If people were in pain, they were at our house. If they were on the road, they were at our house. If they were going through a conflict, they were at our house. If they were a well-known Christian leader coming through town, they were at our house. One day my dad added up how many meals my mom had cooked for guests in our home in one year. It was over a thousand meals! I grew up learning a “give your life away” attitude. My parents taught me that life’s not about me; it’s about helping other people.
That’s what awesome families do. They teach each other to show love and to do good deeds—to minister and to serve.
A good example of this is Cornelius’s family in the book of Acts: “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (Acts 10:2 NIV).
What a great legacy! Wouldn’t you like to have people writing that about you and your family one day?
Whether you have children or not, God wants you to leave a legacy like that. You’ll find people younger in age—or younger in the faith—all around you. Will you take the time to help others become what God has made them to be? Take time today to help them discover God’s mission for their life.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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