July 1
(Luke 14:15-20 NIV) ““When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." {16} Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. {17} At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' {18} "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' {19} "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' {20} "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.””
(Matthew 22:1-7 NIV) “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: {2} "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. {3} He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. {4} "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' {5} "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. {6} The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. {7} The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”
In this parable, the great banquet is Heaven. The party host is God. The servants are Christ’s followers. The invitation is the gospel. The invited are those who have not yet accepted the gospel. God sends out invitations, but most of the invited make excuses and decline. The excuses break down into two major categories: money and relationships. The love of money has caused many to neglect their relationship with God. Rich or poor, money has become more important than loving God in the lives of many today. The love of family or people in general has also eliminated many from following Jesus. We cannot give our full devotion to Christ when other things command our affection and allegiance. We cannot serve two masters. We must make a strategic decision. We must choose to accept God’s invitation, or make excuses. What will you choose to do? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day
