Service With A Smile

Fresh cut yellow and purple irises adorned the tables spread with correlating June colors and arrayed their place settings. Warmly arranged on this beautiful canvas, sat gently burning candles and wine glasses ready to be filled. Momentarily, the aroma of the barbequing steaks and veggies filled the air. Good food. Good friends. Good fellowship. Behold: the body of Christ in action! Hosting and entertaining guests in your home is Christianity 101. These are the basics my friends. There are countless scriptures telling us to “consider others better than ourselves” and “do unto others as you would have others do unto you” or “love your neighbor as yourself” etc. They all apply and come back to this one main point, which is service, and not just lip service either. True humility begins in the heart. If you begrudgingly give anything to anyone, it is in vain and the Lord won’t bless the deed.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17

I will refrain and not get into what I believe is a “non-argument” over this issue where people attempt to offer up reasons NOT to host/entertain others, such as “we just don’t have the room” or “we can’t afford it” . The only valid reason I can think of, is if you have an unbelieving husband who flat out says "no" to entertaining guests. Otherwise, although some feel uncomfortable or perhaps they just don’t want to fellowship, I believe we are called to bring others into our homes and serve them. Our Lord has given many examples by His own behavior, for example the infamous foot-washing. John 13:1-17 is the full account. Here are verses 12-17:

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Mark 10:44-45 And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

In these examples we see clearly how our Lord expects us to serve one another. I come from a family in which (and area of the country) where hospitality is key to most relationships, whether friend or family, we always opened our homes regularly to others, even when all we had to share was a box of macaroni and cheese. No kidding. When we see a need in the body, we are to seek to fill it as is possible.

James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Philippians 2:1-11So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look NOT only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ...

We also find a certain satisfaction in knowing when we are serving others we are in fact serving Christ himself.  As in Matthew 25:40 which says: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I simply delighted in the way our friends served us last night. They truly went out of their way to serve us and treat us like royalty from the appetizers to the main course to the wine selection and of course my favorite; dessert! Not to mention the aroma of the home itself was oozing with tranquility as classical music filled the air. The warm and welcoming smiles on their faces were priceless. I would be willing to bet we have all heard the catch phrase, “Service with a smile.” However, when it comes wrapped up in the tidy little package of Christian brethren, there’s nothing like it! Praise be to God for these blessings! Amen.