Sunday, March 26, 2023
Blessings are all around us.
Unfortunately, because we get so caught up in worldly affairs, we often become desensitized and miss them. Yet, if we look, God provides us with little blessings every day—the sunrise, the first sip of our morning coffee, or time spent with a cherished friend. However, we sometimes fail to realize the greatest blessing of all: the opportunity to experience a personal relationship with him!
Instead, we fall into complacency and forget this very truth. When we wake up each day, we should marvel at the fact that the Creator of the universe seeks a personal, intimate relationship with us.
Luke 14:15-24
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.’”
I know I’m guilty of making excuses when I want to get out of a situation or when I do not feel like doing something; it’s human nature. In this parable, the man extended invitations to highly esteemed guests, opening his home to serve them. His “friends,” however, ignored the invitation, using any reason to say no.
The man knew that if he invited the ignored, the outcasts, and the shunned, they would gladly accept his invitation and would show their immense gratitude. They wouldn’t take the man’s kindness for granted.
This is what Jesus did for us. We’re the outcasts, the shunned, and the sinners. And yet, Jesus invites us—one and all—to be with him. To step into a wonderful adventure with him, because we matter to God.
So this season, make it a priority to stop overlooking the greatest blessing of your life and remember the truth of all truths: God loves you immensely, and he extends an invitation to sit at his royal feast every day.
What an honor and privilege this is!
Questions:
What are the blessings you might be ignoring in your everyday life?
Have you ever found yourself falling into complacency in your commitments and overlooking the immense blessing that is in front of you?
Next Steps:
Prayerfully ask God for help discerning areas of your faith in which you have fallen into the motions. Ask that he opens your eyes to the blessings that he has placed in front of you.
On a notecard, write a reminder of how much God loves you. Place it on your mirror or in a place you will see it every day, then take a moment to meditate on his unfailing love.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for providing us an opportunity to live in a personal relationship with you. You are a God of abounding love and amazing grace! Help us to remember how much you love us and what an honor it is to personally be sought out by the Creator of the universe. Open our eyes to the blessings in front of us and free us from the chains of complacency and routine. In Jesus’ name, amen.