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There are days when it is hard to see the point in entertaining. Motivation is lacking and it all seems a little mundane. That is where these quotes come in.

living room furniture with text overlay 9 quotes to inspire you when you don't feel like entertaining

9 Quotes to Motivate You When You Don’t Want to Host

I’ll be honest with you, even though I have studied in Scripture why hospitality is important and have experienced SO MANY of the beautiful benefits that pour from it, there are days when I don’t feel like it.

I am tired, I am worn, I want to be secluded and then the doorbell rings. In those moments I have a choice to make. I can choose to look at this person as an inconvenience, interrupting my schedule and making my life more challenging. OR I can see that in the sovereign, good plan of my Father in Heaven, Who knows EXACTLY what I need, these people were brought to me. It was no accident. He wanted them here at this moment. I can look at them through His eyes and allow myself to be inconvenienced for the glory of God and the good of people.

BUT let me tell you, that is not always an easy thing to remember in the day to day moments. I literally struggled with this TODAY and I have a feeling I’m not alone in this… That’s why I put together this list. Here you will find many of my favorite inspirational quotes and Scriptures that speak to the importance of these ordinary, hospitable moments in the kingdom of God.

We all need reminders sometimes of just what God can do in our simple moments when they are surrendered to Him and that is what I hope these quotes do for you!

Related: Reaching Out to Your Neighborhood: Why You Need to!

9 Quotes to Inspire Your Welcome

coffee on a table with text overlay willis and clements quotes

  1. “Ordinary does not equal insignificant… we must remember that the church has progressed for 2 millennia on God’s power at work around ordinary kitchen tables and living rooms.” Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements

This quote has quickly become a favorite for me and I find myself repeating it over and over to myself and others. Other things within the church are good and right but many are not completely necessary. For two millennia, the church has continued to grow, influence, and transform through ordinary homes where the extraordinary Gospel is lived out and spoken. May that be true in our homes as well!

This quote comes from the fantastic little book The Simplest Way to Change the World. To check out my review, click here!

laundry on the clothes line with text overlay of reissig quote

  1. “Your work at home is actually a God-given opportunity to serve your neighbor with your good works, it is an opportunity to love others in Jesus’ name, it is a chance for you to put aside your comfort for the benefit of another.” – Courtney Reissig

This simple quote flies in the face of our modern concept of “home”. So often we view our homes as a refuge from others, rather than a refuge for them. Our homes are God-given tools to be used for the spiritual good of all who enter. May we live in light of that reality each day!

This quote is from Courtney’s book Glory in the Ordinary. To check out my review, click here!

flowering tree with text overlay of quote

  1. “God promises to put the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6), and He intends to use your house as living proof.” Rosaria Butterfield

Amen! What an incredibly beautiful reminder! God wants the lonely to have families and your house is the perfect place to start! In my own life, I have had the joy of seeing this literally happen on multiple occasions. Ordinary relationships have blossomed and many who never had much family to claim otherwise, now claim ours and I’m so very grateful! They are ours and we are theirs and there is real beauty in that.

This quote can be found in Rosaria Butterfield’s book The Gospel Comes with a House Key. Check out my review here!

coffee cup on dark background with text overlay from the book of Matthew

  1. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” Matthew 25:35

What a beautiful picture of hospitality Christ gives here! He is talking about the faithful who come to the final judgment whom He will say these words to. They will then ask Him, when did we see you a stranger and let you in? And His response is that when they invited the least of people, they invited Him. Need motivation in your hospitality? There it is! Serve others and you serve Christ. Breathtaking!

photo of open door with text overlay with sam allberry quote

  1. “A repeated, fundamental assumption in the New Testament is that if you let Jesus into your heart, you will let strangers into your home.” Sam Allberry

Wow! The New Testament assumes that I will love the stranger because that is what Christians do. When I struggle with this concept, I am blown away to think that it is nothing extraordinary. Hospitality is the simple overflow of a Christian life.

carrots on a board with text overlay of furman quote

  1. “We’re destined for joy forever because of Christ’s exquisite hospitality in opening a way to God through His own body. We can serve others with gladness knowing that the carrots we peel and the diapers we change are as unto the Lord.” Gloria Furman

What a beautiful reminder. Christ has been hospitable. He has opened the way to God through His own sacrifice. What little service we do is service to Him. The hospitality I extend is merely an overflow of the hospitality I have experienced.

Flowers in a vase with text overlay from Romans 15:7

  1. “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7

What an incredibly high and holy calling! God has called us to welcome, not in a half-hearted, begrudging manner, but in a whole-hearted, gloriously beautiful manner! We are called to lay down our lives in service to the people God brings to us. We welcome the way Christ welcomed: with extravagant love and perfect joy. And we do it all for the glory of God. Our welcome is not meant to inspire others to view us more highly, it is meant to make much of Christ!

two women holding coffee with text overlay of Katie Deckert quote

  1. “People would much rather have your attention than your perfection.” Katie Deckert

I wrote this quote in this article after realizing that people don’t need me to be perfect. If the bread is burned or the back room is messy, my guests will survive. In fact, they may even feel more at home than they did before. Ultimately, the goal of my hospitality is not to impress my guests but to point them to Christ. All of my successes and all of my failures are meant to do exactly that. When my guests have my attention, not my perfection, we can look together to Christ Who alone satisfies.

Read the article here…

coffee on table with text overlay of katie davis majors quote

  1. “At the end of time, all that will count is that we lived the Gospel with our very lives, that we paid attention to the people God gave us and dwelt knowledgeably and hospitably in the place to which He called us.” Katie Davis Majors

Money and fame will pass away. Material possessions will turn to dust. Time will soon vanish and we will stand before the Lord. On that day, it will not matter what we owned or how many activities we were involved in. What will matter is how faithful we were to living the Gospel; how much we valued Christ and the people He put in our lives. Our lives should be filled with welcome and when they are, our focus will be in the right place.

This quote is from Katie’s book Daring to Hope. Grab your copy Daring to Hope!

Motivating Your Hospitality Efforts

Hospitality is hard sometimes, it is filled with emotional ups and downs. Attachments and disappointments. Joys and sorrows. Tears and laughter. A life of welcome is not a life of ease but it is a life that mirrors Christ’s. It is the best kind of life. But sometimes, we all need a reminder. These quotes have often inspired me when I have reminded myself of them!

If these quotes have encouraged you in your hospitality efforts but you aren’t sure what the next step is, check out this FREE offer!

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Do you have any favorite hospitality quotes? Let me know in the comments below!