Full House
“ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ <o:p></o:p>
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ”
Luke 14:22-24
<o:p>God wants a full house! He is preparing a great feast for all eternity and is inviting the most unlikely of people. Those who were invited but had excuses will not be there. This parable describes God’s grace and anger intertwined, which is intriguing! God’s anger is toward those who did not make Him a priority. His grace is directed toward everybody else. There’s no person who is not invited to His great feast of Heaven.</o:p>
I usually let people off the hook pretty easily. To those who are mature in the faith I extend a lot of grace – which is okay, but maybe there are times when righteous indignation (a.k.a. a kick in the rear!) is called for.
And sometimes I am less gracious to those who wouldn’t know better. We shouldn’t expect those who are not walking with God to make decisions as if they are. Of course they are going to be selfish and sinful and make poor choices that affect me. God’s amazing love and grace needs to be poured on them.
But why do I pour grace onto the Christian who is making poor choices because of their sin and selfishness? Maybe some godly anger would be a more loving response to them.
As for me, I will make no excuses in responding to God’s invitation. There’s no better invite in this world than to walk with Him now and into eternity!
Thank You, Father, for Your kindness that leads me to repentance and Your grace that enriches my life. I live for You! Whatever You invite me to, I RSVP as a ‘yes!’<o:p></o:p>
