Fill 'er up!

 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. Luke 14:23 (NLT)

In this story, God is inviting all the people to a banquet but the first people to get the invitation turn him down.  And their excuses are similar to ours.  Basically, the excuses are material possessions that need to be cared for, a task to do (busyness) or people to please.

Things haven't changed much from then to now have they?  The interesting thing is God doesn't force them to come. He doesn't give them lectures or coerce them in any way. He accepts their answer and moves on to find others who will accept his invitation.

And the really cool thing about the story is that God keeps looking. He looks everywhere he possibly can, turning over every stone, looking in every highway and byway. He wants his house full. But, he wants it full of people who want to be there.

We will all get the invitation. What will your excuse be? Or, will you come just as you are and sit at table?

A Minute In It - Who Is Invited?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” Luke 14:15-24 (NLT)

Which person are you in the story? What is your excuse for not responding to Jesus invitation? What is is the criteria to be able to attend the banquet?

Different Problem, Same Lesson

He has set the right time for everything.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

Over the last year things have been very stressful.  My business took a hit and it has been a real struggle financially.  God kept saying "Wait, don't do anything."  It's very stressful to wait and not do anything when the money has dried up. But God was faithful and he provided.

Recently, the business has gotten super busy.  And again, I realized that it is very stressful trying to figure out how to manage all the activity and get everything done.

As I reflected on this, I realized that these may be two very different problems but the lesson is still the same. Trust God. No matter what your situation, the lesson is always thee same. Trust God.  He will take care of whatever problem you are facing and he will do it his way and in his time.

God, Over To You!

Never stop praying.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

Did you wake up today, realize it was Monday and groan at the list of things you had to accomplish this week?  I did. And then, I remembered that there was only one thing I really had to do.  Spend time with God.

When we make God our first priority, somehow our schedules seem to fall into place, the list of to do items actually get done and more importantly there is a peace in our lives that would not be present if we were trying to accomplish things on our own.

John Wesley stated it perfectly when he said "I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it."

Today is God's day. He ordained it and he has a plan for it. Spend time with him and let him arrange the day for you.

Happy Monday!

Using What I Already Have

Sing to the Lord!
    Praise the Lord!
For though I was poor and needy,
    he rescued me from my oppressors. Jeremiah 20:13 (NLT)

Yesterday we talked about the negative voices we hear in our head that cause us to doubt who we are and how much God loves us.  What are some things you can do when you hear those voices?  Here are some things I do to counter these attacks.

Prayer and Quiet Time - Luke 5:16 tells us Jesus often went off for quiet time with God and to pray. No doubt he was the most attacked person who ever lived. His time with God reset his focus and helped him to hear the still small voice.

God's Word - There are so much in God's Word that tell us who he is and how he cares for us. Dive in. Read it and remember.

Use Your Brain - when you are being emotionally attacked, you need to use your brain to counter attack. Think about who God is and what you know about him. Think about your past with him and your current relationship. Use this information to determine if what you are hearing is from him.

Praise!  Any time we praise and worship God in song, it takes our minds off of our troubles and focuses them on God.

Props - when I feel that I am being attacked, I develop props that help remind me who is in control. For example, one of the things I do is ROAR - out loud. You see the Bible says the devil prowls about as a roaring lion trying to devour us. But the Bible also says that Jesus is the Lion of Judah - and he has already conquered through his death on the cross. Jesus is the stronger lion. When I roar, it reminds me that this battle is already done and I can relax.

God loves you and every day he is telling you. When you are being attacked, fight back. God has already won this war. Remember to use the tools he has given you.

That Is Not God's Voice

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

"You know you can't do that - you always mess things up."
"Do you hear yourself? What makes you think you can do anything right?"
"You always mess things up. You are worthless."

Do you ever hear voices like these?  I do. And when we hear them, we are tempted to think it is God talking to us. But it's not. How can you know? The Bible tells us. 

Gentle words are a tree of life;
    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 (NLT)

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6 (NLT)

God tells us in the Bible to watch our tongue, to guard what we say and to use our words to build each other up.  God will never do anything contrary to what is in his Word so you know that those negative thoughts are not his.

Will God convict you when you are doing something wrong?  Absolutely. But his words will be words of encouragement or gentle reproach, not condemnation.

So, next time you hear Satan utter those awful thoughts in your head, fight back. I'll share some tips on how to do that tomorrow.

I Want To Be A Tax Collector When I Grow Up

But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’  Luke 18:13 (NLT)

He was standing away from the crowd, off by himself, fully aware of who he was. When he prayed, he did not even lift his eyes toward the God he prayed to. He beat his chest in mourning and he uttered the same thing we all think from time to time. God, have mercy on me. I'm not worthy of your love.

This man knew he was wrong. He knew he was a sinner. He knew he had nothing to offer that was worth the God he served. But he came anyway. He came because he knew it wasn't about him or what he did but about the God who was bigger than all that.

This man didn't compare himself to others. He didn't check off a list of good deeds. He simply came with his failures and obvious problems. He came for the love and acceptance that is so freely offered to all of us.

I wish I could be more like this man. I tend to mimic the Pharisee more than I would like. How can my heart me more like the heart of this tax collector? By focusing on Jesus. By looking at the one who can change me so my heart is broken when I come before him.

May sound strange, especially if you are a Pharisee, but I would rather be this tax collector.

Father God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Make me more like Jesus. Amen

Focus of the Pharisee

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’  Luke 18:11-12 (NLT)

We often look down on Pharisees. We are critical of their way of thinking and how they rejected Jesus and his way of thinking.  Take this one, for example.

He is praying. He points out to God all the good things he does. He fasts, he gives money to God. He's doing good things.  Then, to make sure it's clear where he stands in his own righteousness, he compares himself to others. He doesn't pick other Pharisees (after all, they may be doing the same good things he's doing). He chooses the lowest of the low. He singles out the tax collector, the cheaters, adulterers and any other sinner that pops into mind.

Now, how do we fit in here?  Have you ever said "Well, I am not as bad as......" or "I'm not that bad, I don't ......"  Have you ever listed the good things you do to check off the boxes?

Now, I am going to ask you the same question as I did yesterday. Could you be a Pharisee?

The only person we should be looking at and comparing ourselves to is Jesus.