God Invites: Do We Come?

In 1996, while Lisa and I were serving in Columbus, some people at our church invited us to go with them to watch the USA softball team play in the Olympics. The softball competition for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics was held in Columbus.

So, we had the chance to go watch two USA softball games. One of them was the gold medal game against China. The atmosphere was electric. The quality of plays was astounding. I grew up watching my older sister play softball throughout her junior high and high school years. I had watched plenty of softball in my life. But, this experience was incredible.

We had the experience because someone invited us. Someone made that possible for us. We did not have tickets, but someone said that they had tickets for us. We were unable to go until someone made a way for us to go. We were invited.

In Luke 14: 16-24, Jesus tells a parable about a host giving a huge banquet. All the preparations are made then the invitations are sent. People are invited to join the master at his banquet. One by one, the invited refused. They were cordial in their refusals. They all had reasons. But, their reasons were labeled as “excuses.” Everyone had something they deemed more important than the master’s banquet.

The master’s response was unexpected. He ordered his servant to go find people who can come: the poor, the maimed, the blind, the lame. The helpless will be glad to come. Those with nothing to offer will come if invited. And, since there is even more room, those from the highways and hedges can come, too.

The Master has invited us. He says that we are welcome. If we let something become more important than the Master, we might refuse the invitation. But, if we realize we have nothing to offer, then we recognize that though we are poor, maimed, blind, lame, we are welcome.

The Master opens the doors to the most helpless among us. It’s not because of our strengths that we are invited but because of our weaknesses. In fact, as soon as we think we have something of value besides the Master, we find excuses not to accept the invitation. The best place to be is helpless before the Master.

And, there is still room for more. From the highways and hedges, everyone is welcome. The requirement? To not have something more important than the Master.

What excuses have been keeping you from experiencing all of the Master? What have you let become more important than the Christ who saved you? To say “yes” to His invitation is to not make excuses because of something seemingly “more important.”

You have been invited. Will you respond with a resounding “yes” because of your great need? Or, will you respond with an excuse for why something else is more important than being with Jesus?

(Responses/Questions: jeff.perkins@mbclife.org.)