There is a celebration taking place in heaven.
It is the rejoicing of those believers who have passed from this life to the
next. They feast with their Savior who saved them from eternal destruction.
They rejoice with those they once loved on earth. This is a never-ending
celebration. In Luke 14:15-23 Jesus shares the parable of the great banquet.
Just as those in this parable who are invited to a banquet, we are also invited
to one. Our invitation is to His greatest banquet. Just as those who refused in
the parable, there are those of us who will make excuses not to attend. The
excuses in the parable sounded reasonable, but they were not sufficient enough
to refuse so great an invitation.
What are our excuses not to accept His
invitation? Does something else seem more important than the life He offers? Is
it inconvenient to lay down our priorities? The celebration to which we are
invited calls for our complete surrender. It requires obedience and letting go
of everything that hinders total commitment. God desires our love and undivided
heart. He asks for our full allegiance. He loves us even when we have allowed
excuses to hinder our spiritual growth. As a loving father He continually disciplines.
This is never an issue of His love. The issue is about our love for Him. How
much do we love Him? Will we surrender to His will? “How shall we escape if we
ignore so great a salvation?” the writer to the Hebrews declares (Hebrews 2:3a,
NIV). If we ignore His invitation then we will miss the greatest opportunity of
our lifetime—we will miss heaven. By ignoring His invitation, we reject what he
offers. If we continually say “no” the day will come when our ears will no
longer hear His invitation.
Are
we willing to let go of all our excuses? God wants no one to miss the wonderful
reward that He offers through Jesus and the eternal life-giving promise of His sacrifice.
He yearns for His house to be full. If we reject Him, He will find others to
accept. “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in
the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Go out to the roads and country
lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full” (Luke 14:21,23b,
NIV). A never-ending celebration awaits. “No eye has seen, what no ear has
heard, and what no human mind has conceived— the things God has prepared for those who love him”
(1 Corinthians 2:9, NIV). Will we accept?
© 2017 Lynn Lacher
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