Our Choice
Most of this day will be just me and You, Father. Enable me to be productive in writing and in preparation for worship Sunday. Guide my thoughts, spur me to action in the directions You would have me go. Amen.
Matthew 22:1-14 (<<click to read the passage)
Lord, what a poignant story! It is very strong and to the point because it is dealing with a very serious matter. Many would like to avoid it all together but we all realize that our days are numbered. Not a single one of us will avoid standing before You on the final day of judgment. It is extremely sobering…
Every person to ever come into existence on this planet has received an invitation to the “great wedding feast”, that is eternity spent with You. You have set everything into place with Your coming, in person, to live amongst us. You loved us. You taught us. You sacrificially gave Your life for us so that we might have the opportunity to join You and the Father for “the banquet”.
But so many have “refused to come”! In their audacious pride, they have rudely declined the invitation of their Creator! And instead of eternal life – abundant and free – eternal death will be their sentence… And they will have no one to blame but themselves. Each and every one has made their own personal choice, regardless of circumstances.
But what about the “guest” “without wedding clothes”? He too was bound and thrown “into the outer darkness” – eternal life is forfeit, an eternal death sentence is pronounced.
Who was this “guest” and what does Your proclamation, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (v.14) mean?
In seeking some insight myself, I looked at several study Bibles available to me on biblegateway.com. One, in particular, the MacArthur Study Bible helped me to get a better grasp on this passage.
First of all, this guest was not a “party crasher”. Everyone there had been rounded up from “the street corners” and I don’t know about you but on most days I am definitely not dressed for a wedding banquet! So the king would have provided proper attire for all in attendance. So whoever this guy was he had to have purposely rejected the king’s gift – again a conscious decision, a deliberate act on his part. And here’s the quote that helps verse 14 make a little more sense.
“The imagery seems to represent those who identify with the kingdom externally, profess to be Christians, belong to the church in a visible sense – yet spurn the garment of righteousness Christ offers by seeking to establish a righteousness of their own”
Christ is the only means of entrance to the “great wedding feast” – our eternal life with Him. Isaiah 64:6 says,
We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
and our sins sweep us away like the wind. NLT (Emphasis mine)
So…it is our choice and ours alone. What is your choice?
Sept 13th, 2018, Thurs, 8:37 am
No “Give Me”
(A well-received post from 2017 for today. My apologies – my plate runneth over!)
As I sat down with you this morning, Father, my first thought was a “give me” thought. Granted I was asking for Your direction and guidance in our time together but the “give me” was the very first thought that formed in my mind. You deserve my love and respect. You are to be revered – not just flippantly demanded of. You are holy and pure, Father. I honor You for all you have done for me and the list of Your generous acts is incalculable. I lift Your name in praise for all of Your mighty acts in my life and in all of the world…every day, every moment.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:2
Lord, I saw the above verse when a song came to mind – a song that brings praise to You. The song was “Glory to His Name.”
Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
Refrain
Glory to His name, glory to His name:
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
I am so wondrously saved from sin,
Jesus so sweetly abides within;
There at the cross where He took me in;
Glory to His name!
Oh, precious fountain that saves from sin,
I am so glad I have entered in;
There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean;
Glory to His name!
Come to this fountain so rich and sweet,
Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet;
Plunge in today, and be made complete;
Glory to His name!
Words: Elisha A. Hoffman, 1878
Music: John H. Stockton, 1878
I cannot even begin to recall the number of times these lyrics have been upon my lips! The only time the word “I” is used is in praise of the wonderful gift of salvation that came by Your sacrifice for me – for all of us! The author of Hebrews, in speaking of the Law of God, states in verse 22 of chapter 9, “…without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” NLT
The Amplified Bible paints the whole picture, saying plainly what is implied.
“…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].”
Lord, without your sacrifice, where would I be? Who would I be? Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation! Sin no longer has control over my life! I battle it. It continues to call my name. But You, Lord, You give me power over it in my life! I am no longer a slave to sin but a servant to my Savior! Glory to Your name for releasing me from sin and its guilt – for taking upon Yourself the punishment I deserved so that I could be set free! All praise and glory truly belong to You! No “give me” is rightfully there just humble acceptance.
Mar 7th, 2017, Tues, 5:14 am
Dig in Our Heels?
Father, it is a pensive kind of day. Not really a bright and cheery kind of day, overcast instead. Thinking of pending hurricanes and the anniversary of so many lives lost not that long ago. Thank You, Father, for Your ever-abiding presence. Through the mountaintop and the valley experiences, gratefully You are the rock-solid foundation on which we can stand.
Matthew 21:33-46 (<<click to read the passage)
After reading this passage through four or five times, it’s interesting that my mind went to an incident involving King David, Israel’s greatest king of old.
As was stated in 1 Samuel 13:14 David was a “man after [God’s] own heart.” Yet an innocent glance escalated to the point of adultery and eventually murder on the part of this great man of God. He thought his egregious acts were well hidden. But as we’ve already discussed, nothing is hidden from God.
Shortly after the child, conceived in adultery, was born, the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”
David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man!” (2 Samuel 12:1-13)
A story exposing the heart, much as Jesus’ story of the wicked farmers exposed the heart of leading priests and Pharisees. But what were the responses?
David repented. Verse 13 says,
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
The religious leaders barely flinched in their efforts to rid themselves of this thorn in their side – Jesus. It says in verses 45-46,
When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
There’s a lot of Scripture here but the message is clear. What do we do when confronted with the truth of our sins? Do we dig in our heels, determined to not change our course as we continue to oppose God? Or do we come to a complete stop and repent, changing course and turning our hearts toward and humbly God seek His forgiveness?
The decision is totally ours…
Sept 11th, 2018, Tues, 6:28 pm
Lost in the Cacophony?
I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice!
Take joy my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear
I know I’ve shared this before, Father, but it’s the first thing that popped into my head as I sat down to be with You this evening and it expresses my feelings at the moment!
Matthew 21:28-32 (<<click to read the passage)
Lord, am I obedient? You most assuredly know that I strive to be. But… do I get so busy with so many things – things that I believe You have led me to – do Your words to me get lost in the cacophony of my life? The clanging and banging in my brain of all my activity seem to drown You out. I don’t want it to…but it does…
Even this time together, I feel like it’s a last ditch effort to sit down with You…to try and listen to You. I have been up since before 4:00 am and I have not really stopped going until now. I don’t want this time to be rushed. I don’t want it to be forced.
So many times when we come together it truly is refreshing. I quite often am astounded at what You lay upon my heart. When I am quiet and listen, I hear You. And what You share with me humbles me. Thank You, Lord, for loving me…for caring about me each and every day. Thank You for welcoming me into Your presence. Thank You for holding me in Your embrace, so that I can feel Your heart beating against mine.
May I follow Your call on my life. May all believers having a burning drive to do the same. Fill us to overflowing!
I love you, Lord and I lift my voice to worship You, oh, my soul rejoice!
Sept 10th, 2018, Mon, 8:58 pm
Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave
Thank You, Father, for a wonderful day! Your presence in worship was impacting – may Your word resonate without our hearts and may we be motivated to action. Amen!
Matthew 21:23-27 (<<click to read the passage)
Have you ever examined a spider web? We have a spider that has constructed its web in front of the window by our back door. We have an electric candle which sits on the window sill inside and it draws small flying insects to its light. What a great set-up for the spider! God created a wise creature that could put all that together in order to ensure a constant source of sustenance!
For the most part, once an insect gets caught in the web there is no escape from the sticky strands.
Remember this bit of verse? It is actually from a poem written by Scottish poet, Sir Walter Scott in 1513.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!
To my knowledge, a spider can’t get stuck in his own web but that was not the case for the leading priests and elders who tried to trap Jesus in His words in today’s passage. They weren’t after the truth. Their sole intention was to back Jesus into a corner where they could them eliminate Him as a threat to their “power”.
But…they weren’t playing with some naïve novice. They were fighting against the very person who knew them before the world was even created! (Ephesians 1:4) They thought they had Him right where the wanted Him but He was far too wise for their games.
Jesus quickly turned the tables with His own question and they were entangled in their own web of deceit!
Oft times we think we are so smart. We play games and think we can fool God. But we are the fools. We think we can outwit Him – but that, of course, is impossible when we are up against an all-knowing God. We hide behind masks of our own construction but we cannot hide from an ever-present God. In defiance, we stubbornly stand in our supposed strength but all of us will eventually bow before this all-powerful God.
All of the things we do to fight against God are futile. We may think we are winning but until we give ourselves over to Him – to His loving care and compassion, to his grace and mercy – we will be the losers.
Sept 9th, 2018, Sun, 8:26 pm