You Are Invited!

SCRIPTURE

Matt. 22:1 ¶ Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
Matt. 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Matt. 22:3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. NIV

OBSERVATION

As I read these verses today and the rest of the chapter, I realize how desperately God wants us to be in His presence. He goes to great lengths to make sure everyone is invited to a feast yet the surprising thing is: many refuse to come. Imagine… A free meal and no one accepts the invitation! In our culture, free food is an automatic YES when invited. I can’t remember the last time I said NO to a free meal!
Possibly they are too busy with other things or maybe they were not interested in what was being served. The truth, however, might be - they just weren’t hungry!
Sometimes I find myself feeding on things that are temporal and experience a fullness of sorts that leaves me with no appetite for the eternal. I am FULL but not FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Jesus invites us to set our minds upon eternal things. (Col 3:2) He invites us to feed and think upon what is true, noble and right… (Phil 4:8) If we are to do this, we may need to adjust our eating habits. What are you full of today?

APPLICATION

I am going to eat from God’s table FIRST. I will not fill up on the things that distract me from God. My mother use to say: Timmy, don’t eat that candy because it will ruin your appetite for dinner. Well… Jesus has provided a full course meal and I am deciding not to ruin my appetite by eating too much of the temporal world. After all, man doesn’t live by bread alone.(Matt 4:4)

PRAYER

Jesus, may you help me make wise decisions today and may I acquire a taste for your word and your wisdom. I choose to be filled with your Spirit rather than filled with temporal things. O Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit a fresh today.