luke 14:16-24

God has been rocking my socks off lately, giving me new insight to His word. here's the passage:

16But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' 19And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' 20And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"

here's what He taught me:
after church on Easter, my fam had a heated discussion about the sermon and the fact that the messages always seem to be for the drug addicts, porn addicts, divorced people, suicidals, alcoholics, etc. and why can't it just be a nice message for the "good people." (besides the fact that not ONE is good) but a week later, God graciously showed me in His word WHY.

• the invitation is there. we're all invited to the banquet. we hear it at church. we read it on billboards. we see it in nature. we're without excuse (especially in america). God wants us all there - in heaven, to fellowship at the table with Him at the banquet.
• but we come up with excuses. 3 potential reasons for saying "no" to God and a relationship with Him: 1. a field - recreation 2. oxen - work 3. wife - relationships
• so the invitation is extended to "the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame." in Jesus' time, these people were easy enough to find...they were usually in the streets, begging. God wants them there at the banquet too. they might not consider themselves worthy of the invitation, but they are loved and they are desired.
• and there's still room! He wants His house to be filled up. Again, He wants everyone to come (none to perish)
• so the servant is sent to "the highways and the hedges" to "compel people to come in." these people are a little more difficult. they might be the theives, or the lepers, the outcasts, by choice or not. and God wants them there too. they may not initially want to come. they have to be convinced.

choice

work has been intense lately. i won't go into details because it would take hours for you to read this blog (and it's already a long one), but just know that "your sin will find you out (numbers 32:23)." we have discovered that some of our girls have been breaking rules and living a lie.

unfortunately that really doesn't surprise me. i mean, they are in a program because of behavior problems (aka SIN)...which comes down to a need for Jesus, His truth, and a heart change.

but thursday as i was driving home i was really discouraged. i was thinking, "how on earth can you hear the truth every day, say you have a relationship with Christ and still act like this?" and the Lord reminded me of two instances in scripture:

the first is in Genesis. in the garden Adam and Eve walked with God. they had the perfect Father and yet they were deceived and chose sin.

the second is in Revelation. at the end of Jesus' 1000 year reign, Satan will be released and will again deceive...and people will actually follow him. again, Jesus is king of the earth and people still choose sin.

i've never been a big fan of the term predestination. it's hard to think about my family going to hell even if they hear the truth and see the light. but the Lord has just helped me to understand that even though He does want ALL to come to repentance, some will be deceived and choose sin. and He already knows who they are. that doesn't mean He didn't die for them, that He doesn't pursue them or that we shouldn't witness to them. in fact, "we should not grow weary in doing good..." we can't give up. in Isaiah 42 we see that Jesus will not be discouraged. yes, He grieved and wept over the sin, over the stubborness, but He didn't say, 'forget them.' they/we/mankind denied Him, beat Him, mocked Him and sent Him to the cross. and some still choose sin.

the Lord continued to encourage me on friday morning as i was reading through our Bible passage with the girls from deuteronomy 30:

11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing..."

the isrealites were getting ready to cross into the promised land and God was telling them the choice was theirs to make. the truth was right in front of their faces; it was in their mouths and in their hearts. the law that they were supposed to keep wasn't difficult to understand and it was available! the same is true for us. the truth is readily available. however, the choice is still ours to make. we can choose life, which is a reward for loving God (and if we love Him we will obey His commands - Jn 14:21). or we can choose death when we turn our own way and do what we want to do (for the wages of sin is death - romans 6:23).

oh and by the way, He gives us the answer! "choose life!"

"...therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

the heart is deceitful above all things (jeremiah 17:9). we don't even need satan to steal our friends and loved ones away because we're sinful from birth. as we come upon the season of our Jesus' death, burial and resurrection...pray with me that people would choose life. the truth is right there! the choice is theirs to make! but not making a choice is making a choice. o the Lord wants to give us life and good and hope and blessing.