On this day in 1925, The Motel Inn, the first motel in the world, opened in San Luis Obispo, California.

Think back to your last family trip. Did you stay at a motel along the way? Even if you didn’t, you probably saw a bunch of them. We’ve come a long way since the first motel in 1925. Now national motel chains, independent motels, bed and breakfasts, and hotels dot the landscape. So every night millions of travelers must need places to stay.

Way back before motels, like in Bible times, travelers would sleep outside or in the few available inns. Remember when Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem? Mary “gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn” (Luke 2:7).

Often travelers, even strangers, would be welcomed into homes where they could stay the night for free. The Bible says that Christians are expected to show hospitality toward others. Paul wrote: “When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night” (Romans 12:13).

Showing hospitality means being kind to strangers, helping people in need, and even opening our homes when we can. In fact, our verse for today implies that when we do this we might even be entertaining angels and not even know it.

You don’t own a house, and you’re probably not going to open a motel any time soon. But still you can be hospitable by being nice to the new kid in the neighborhood, in school, or at church. And you could invite him or her over to your house to hang out and mess around. You would make that “stranger” feel welcome, and you’d be acting like Jesus.

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! (Hebrews 13:2).

To Do

Think of someone new to your school, church, or neighborhood. Go out of your way to be friendly to him or her. And, if the time is right, invite him or her over to your house.

Also on this day

This is Poinsettia Day.

1792—In Vienna, 22-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven received his first lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn. (Have you practiced the piano today?)

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.