WEEK THREE: FOREVER

Imagine receiving an invitation to attend a state dinner at the White House that would be filled with world leaders and dignitaries. What would be your response? I imagine that you would be honored to be considered to be a part of this dinner. I also imagine that you would feel pretty important. However, there are probably a few other things that might be on your mind too. Like, what is the dress code? Formal or informal? What is the protocol for conduct at the dinner? What is expected of a guest at a dinner like this? But whatever your questions would be, you would want to make sure you did everything right because you wouldn’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

In Matthew 22, in his parable of the great feast, Jesus tells the story of a king who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. Those who are invited first turn down his invitation for various reasons, so the king instructs his servants to go out and bring anyone that they can find to be guests at the feast. Jesus then draws our attention to one particular guest who was not appropriately dressed. He didn’t have his wedding clothes on. So why did he not change? He wasn’t the only person invited in from the streets. Apparently, others understood the opportunity they had and were willing to do what they had to so they could participate in the king’s feast. So, why not this one man?

Obviously, Jesus’ point was not about an actual wedding feast, but rather the Kingdom of God through salvation. In this illustration, Jesus was letting us know that through God’s grace, we are all invited to be part of his Kingdom… but it requires a decision to say yes to his invitation. Just saying yes isn’t enough though. There must be a transformation. Could it be that what hinders us most from enjoying the Kingdom is our own refusal to change? Could it be that our hesitancy to allow God to transform us is keeping us from the best that God has planned for each of us? What “yes” is holding you back?

We can become convinced that our own righteousness is good enough. We can decide that we will only allow God to remove certain things from our lives. We can decide for ourselves that we are unfit, and God could never use us. None of those things are true. We need God’s righteousness. We need God’s grace. If he is calling you to salvation, say yes today. If he is calling you to obedience, say yes today. If he is calling you to a deeper faith, say yes today. Don’t let distractions, worries, and fear keep you from everything God has for you. Say “yes” today!