The Great Invitation

Luke 14:18-20 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 just got married, so I can’t come.

Oh! how wonderful it is to buy a new car, a new house, a plot of land, get the job of your dream, hold your baby in your arms after nine months, or marry your heartthrob! The joy we experience knows no bounds, and we can spend the whole day doting around these beautiful things in our lives.

Unfortunately, we do not only take the whole day, but also unconsciously take the whole year, or even our entire life chasing after these goodies. Let’s take a look at the parable of the Great Supper, where a rich man invited many people to the banquet (Luke 14),

Notice that all the excuses men gave to avoid the banquet are the very issues we face daily. They are not bad in themselves. After all, it is God who gives oxen, money to buy a field, a new wife or husband, a new job, a new baby, a business, a promotion, a car, a house, and every good thing we can think of.

However, in the Kingdom of God, it is important to set our priorities right. God must take the first place in our lives. It is the honor we must willingly give to God, the Creator, above every creation. Every other thing (God’s blessings and the good things of life) must take second place. 

When God gives you an invitation to come to his presence for the banquet with the Bread of Life (the place of sweet communion and fellowship), what will you do? Accept it and enjoy the living water and the living bread that forever satisfy or give excuses because of the meat that perishes?

When you put God first in your dealings, be assured that other good things will follow. Make a wise decision today and heed the great invitation and you will find rest for your soul.