Luke 14:16-20, 23-24

S A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, “Come, the banquet is ready.” But they all began making excuses. One said, “I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.” Another said, “I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.” Another said, “I now have a wife, so I can’t come.”

So his master said, “Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.”

O This man found great joy in sharing what he had with those closest to him. His friends had gladly accepted the first invitation but found it to be inconvenient when it was time to go to the table. They will never know the blessings this great man had to pour out to them. Instead, they have been tossed aside and replaced by those who were willing to come at the last minute. God, too, has invited us to a great feast. He wants us to share the blessings He has for us but if we continue to make excuses we will miss out on His promise. Jesus tells this parable letting us know that God finds great joy in sharing His home. Not sharing it with people who say they will be there, but people who will just show up.

A So many times in life I have not shown up to what God has for me. I have accepted His invitation to sit at His table but will I actually show up? It’s not about what promises we make, or our good intentions, it’s about coming through in the end and doing what we say we are going to do. We don’t just let other people down when we make excuses but we are disappointing our Father in heaven as well. To RSVP with a “yes, I’ll be there” isn’t enough; I need to make sure I show up.

P Lord, thank you for the invitation you have sent for me to share in your great feast. I have most undoubtedly accepted your call in my life but I can only fulfill this promise with your great strength. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to stay true to the promise I have made to you. Guide me daily in order to stay on track. Remind me always that my agenda will never compare to what you have in store for my life. Synchronize my watch to yours as your timing is always perfect. Amen.

1. This entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Jeremy Chandler, Journal Entry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.