Kiss It Good-Bye

Today's reading is found in Luke 14. Jesus had been invited to a Sabbath meal at the home of a prominent Pharisee and He was surrounded by people who were simply observing Him. No doubt they had extended an invitation just to set Him up for failure. At that celebration was a man who suffered dropsy (this was a sickness that caused the entire body to swell larger and larger). Funny thing is that the sick man stood right in front of Jesus. Without time to waste, Jesus asked, "Is it right or wrong to heal on the Sabbath day?" The sad thing is that no one answered the question! But Jesus healed the man.

Jesus took advantage of this situation to teach the people at the feast very important lessons. He told them of a man who organized a great banquet and invited many guests. When everything was ready, he sent out for them, but they all made excuses and did not attend. One person stated he had purchased a field and had to go out and see it. Another peson stated he had purchased some oxen and needed to test them. A third one explained that he had just gotten married and so could not come. All were simply excuses! The man became so upset at the actions of his guests that he asked his servants to go out everywhere and anywhere and to find "the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame." The man's house became full and those who had been initially invited would not have found a single place where they could be.

Today I've learned that when we invite Jesus into our lives, He will heal those areas that need attention. It is His nature to heal and to restore! He can't and will not sit there just looking at the problem. He will definitely fix it...if we allow Him. Also, you and I have the privilege of being invited to be a part of God's great banquet. But how sad that we continually make worthless excuses not to attend! We say, "I can't go God. I just got a new job and I want to succeed." Or we may say, "I can't go God. I just got a new car (house, property, etc.) and I have to enjoy it." There are some who may even say, "I can't go God. I'm in a new relationship and I've got to make it work."

God is patient and He continues to wait for our positive response. But you will never enter His great banquet while holding on to worthless junk. It's important that you kiss those things good-bye and allow Him to become the priority in your life. "That's too hard," you may say. It is until you kiss it good-bye!