What Your Welcome Says About You

When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.”

Luke 10:8–11

Have you ever stopped to consider what your welcome reveals about who you are? First impressions mean a lot. And the way you treat someone, from the look on your face to the tone of your voice, speaks volumes. Often, you can sense if a stranger is welcoming or standoffish by his or her welcome.

When people meet you for the first time at your home, the way you welcome them can completely set the tone for much of your visit or even your relationship.

Think about a time in your life when you met a stranger for the first time at his or her home. What kind of welcome did this person give? Was he or she friendly and inquisitive? Or unfriendly, aloof, or distracted?

Like it or not, the way you meet someone for the first time can impact your relationship, positively or negatively. That initial impression may not make or break your relationship, but it certainly affects how others view you. Especially when it’s at your home, your warm welcome could set the stage for a friendly, positive relationship. Or, if you’re in the middle of a bad day and you’re dealing with all sorts of chaos and confusion, it will take a while to move past that impression. It’s possible to turn an unfavorable impression around, but it might be difficult. And it might take a while.

Just as the kind of welcome that you give others matters, Jesus taught His disciples to pay attention to the kind of welcome they might receive. Sometimes His disciples would be welcomed into homes, but some people turned them away. And sometimes entire towns would welcome the disciples, while other towns chose to not welcome them.

For Jesus, a welcome made a huge difference. If a town welcomed His disciples by offering them food, Jesus encouraged His disciples to heal the sick and to tell the residents that the kingdom of God had come near. When you think about it, He offered a lot of blessings in return for a welcome, including healing and the truth about His kingdom.

However, for the towns that turned disciples away, their refusal to welcome brought condemnation. Jesus said, “Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.” Then the disciples were told to tell the residents that the kingdom of God had come near.

The kingdom of God did come near—in all towns, it came right along with the gospel message. Residents had an opportunity to welcome the truth and welcome the feet that were carrying good news, but they also were free to turn it away. Those who welcomed the truth about Jesus received favor and blessing. Those who shunned Christ received warning, distance, and judgment. Even the dust of the unwelcoming, unreceptive towns would be wiped off in a strong statement against them.

Just as you can welcome guests into your home in a friendly and kind way or a distracted, rude way, you also have an opportunity to welcome Jesus.

Before you make a quick decision, think things over. What would it mean to welcome Jesus into your home and your life? What would it mean to turn Him away? Consider your preference, and then get ready to open the door. He stands at your door and knocks!

Lord Jesus, here You are! You stand at the door and knock. I hear Your voice. Today I can choose whether or not I open the door to You. If I do, You will come in, bringing blessing after blessing that I don’t deserve. You’ll shower me with Your favor and blessing. And if I don’t, there are consequences. As You taught Your disciples, there will be warning, distance, and judgment. I’m so grateful for Your willingness to welcome me into Your family once I choose to welcome You into my heart. In Your name I pray, amen.

Think It Over

• How can you show kindness to someone you’ve never met? How could this choice to act kindly make a good first impression?
• If you’re prone to creating bad first impressions, what could you work on to change that?
• How do you need to mentally prepare to welcome guests on a moment’s notice? How do you need to physically prepare?
• As Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, He stands at the door and knocks. He’s ready to come in. Do you hear His voice? Will you open the door? Are you ready to welcome Him?

Put It into Practice

• While it might feel a little silly, look at yourself in a mirror. Practice smiling at yourself. Try to see what someone else’s first impression of you might be.
• Take time right now to choose your response to Jesus. Do you choose to welcome Him? Or do you choose to turn Him away? Take a moment to pray and tell Him about your decision.

Home Work

Your front door reveals a lot about your home and your personality. Each front door is different; some of the differences depend on whether you rent or own your home, where you live, and what your budget is. To make your front door look its best, take time to wipe it down. Clean off the handle and the threshold. If your door has windows, clean those. If you can hang a wreath, choose one that reflects the personality of your home and your personal style. If you enjoy changing wreaths, update yours with the seasons. Otherwise, choose a tastefully timeless wreath that can be left up for a while