“There (Puleoli) we found some brothers who invited us to
spend a week with them. And so we came to
Rome.” Acts 28:14.
Paul and his companions finally arrived at their last
port in the journey to Rome when they landed at
Puleoli, which is located near modern day Naples. Puleoli was a shipping port for grain and
other materials and products arriving from various points around the Roman Empire. The
followers of Jesus in that area heard of Paul’s arrival and came to offer
hospitality and care for this traveling party.
They managed to convince Paul and the others to stay for a week. It appears that they were not just housing
the travelers for the night but that they insisted on Paul staying as long as
he would like. They were honored to have
Paul stay with them, and I am certain that Paul did all that he could to
encourage the gathered followers of Jesus.
This verse has gotten me to think about how hospitable I
am, and it has challenged me to consider ways that I could be more
hospitable. Are there areas in which I
can share with others what God has blessed me with? How willing am I to extend to others the
grace that God has shown to me?
Hospitality can take the form of many things: opening one’s home,
opening one’s wallet or purse, or opening one’s life to another. Jesus taught that freely I have been given to
by God; freely I can (and should!) give to others.
Questions to consider:
How hospitable are you? How do
you extend hospitality? Are there any
other ways that you could extend hospitality to others? Are you willing to take the risk?
Prayer: Father, thank You for Your hospitality – Your
free gift – shown to me in Your Son, Jesus.
Help me to have the heart to give to others out of the abundance of what
You’ve given to me. Amen.
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