PRAYER: LORD, I have tried to do it my way-today I completely surrender to You; now is the time to do as Your Word commands me. Thank You for Your patience with me. Thank You for loving me even through the foolish decisions that I have made without You. Like the song says, I want to be "souled out" to You! I appreciate all that Jesus is doing in me and in my life. Help me not to miss anything. To recognize Whom is really at work in my life. I love to praise and worship You LORD, help me to make my whole life a praise and worship to You. Everything I do, think and say. And continue to press into my spirit so that I willingly accept the instruction You provide through Your Word. If I have to say this prayer daily to remember where my strength comes from I will. I trust and love You LORD. In Jesus' living name, amen.
THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET
1 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.
8 Then he said to his servants, 'This wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13 Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.
In this culture, two invitations were expected when banquets were given. The first asked the guests to attend, the second announced that all was ready. Today this would probably be the RSVP, then the second invite would be the specifics of the festivities. In this story the king invited his guests, several times and they rejected his invitation every time. God is the king sending each of us an invitation to join Him at His banquet, which is eternal life. He sends this again and again. Have you accepted His invitation? Don't wait to live out your sins then turn to Him. Come to Him now.
Now what about this man thrown out into the darkness for not wearing wedding clothes? It was customary for wedding guests to be given wedding clothes to wear to the banquet. It was unthinkable to refuse to wear those clothes. That would insult the host, who could only assume that the guest was arrogant and thought he didn't need these clothes, or that he did not want to take part in the wedding celebration. The wedding clothes picture the righteousness needed to enter God's Kingdom--the total acceptance in God's eyes that Christ gives every believer. Christ has provided these clothes of righteousness for everyone, but each person must choose to put them on in order to enter the King's banquet (eternal life). You learn what this is by digging in DEEPER into His Word. You know that we're only made righteous but the blood of Jesus, but once we're covered there is a different way we need to live. There is an open invitation, but we must be ready. Like the man, many of us want to receive all the blessings, fun and good times that God provides without obedience. Let's stop doing it our way and surrender to God's way.
IF YOU ARE READING THIS, YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED. GOD'S INVITATION IS AWAITING YOUR REPLY.
ARE YOU WILLING TO NOT ONLY ACCEPT THE INVITATION, BUT ARE YOU WILLING TO SHOW UP AND WEAR THE "WEDDING CLOTHES?
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