How welcoming are you? Do you welcome others into your life? Do you welcome others into your home? Do you welcome others into the church? Do you like to be welcomed by others? Have you felt unwelcomed? Have you spent time evaluating how welcoming you are?
Being welcomed into a group makes us feel good. When we feel welcomed, we want to return to that place or group of people. If we want to return to a place when we feel welcomed, shouldn’t we be welcoming when others visit with us? Honestly, we should be welcoming anyway.
Jesus tells us that anyone who welcomes one of His followers welcomes Him. This makes all the more important that we welcome fellow Christians into our churches. As Jesus continues in the next couple verses, He states there is a reward for welcoming. Now, we should not welcome others just to receive a reward. In fact, I suspect there is no reward if we are only welcoming others to receive a reward. No, we must be a welcoming people within our hearts to receive the reward.
We are told that by showing hospitality to strangers, we may host angels (Hebrews 13:2). God can show up to visit us anytime he wants. He came in human flesh as Jesus Christ. He has sent his angels to visit prophets in the past. We also know there are stories of people who had someone visit them who had a presence about them, then they suddenly disappeared. Sometimes there is a certain smell about the person visiting.
Regardless of whether the person we welcome is an angel in disguise, a fellow Christian, or someone seeking the truth and has finally come to us, we are to welcome them. We are to welcome them as children of God.
I pray we all have a heart of God who welcomes others. I pray we welcome visitors and fellow members in our churches. I pray each one of us will be welcoming of others, even when it is inconvenient. Have a heart like God. Welcome visitors. Welcome others in every situation.
Matthew 10:40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”
Marty Pressey 