The Invitation

"When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those following Him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven"- Matthew 8:10-11 (NIV).

Jesus was admiring the faith of the Roman centurion, who had just demonstrated his trust in Jesus' power and ability to answer his petition. This had to be an alarming revelation to the Israelites, God's chosen people...not invited to the feast! To add to their growing concern Jesus went on to say that the children of Abraham would be cast out of the kingdom, into darkness, and "in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (v.12). The parable of the wedding feast is in Matthew 22. Those intended guests, once receiving their invitations, had paid no attention and went about their business, continuing in ungodly behavior. The King's anger burned. He destroyed them and then invited the most unlikely guests to take their place at the King's wedding feast. The invitations to the feast Jesus was referring to have been sent out. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be in attendance. We all have an invitation. Everyone gets one. Let us be properly robed, in our right mind, alert and ready for the call that He is ready for us to come.

Ambition

"And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody"- 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV).

Whatever our hands find to do, we should work at it with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10), but our ambitious effort should be measurable to working for the Lord; not for man, nor for ourselves (Colossians 3:23). You become dependent upon those you work for. We are to put His kingdom, His righteousness, first in our lives (Matthew 6:33), not trying to win the approval of this world. You can't pursue pleasing people and be a servant of the Lord Jesus (Galatians 1:10). Choosing to be a friend of the world is choosing to be an enemy of God (James 4:4). What is your ambition? Deny the world's definition and take up the cross each day (Luke 9:23). 

Beautiful Sound

"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, O Most High, proclaiming Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night"- Psalms 92:1-2 (NIV).

Do you ever wake up to a song in your head? You wonder why that particular song? Was it the last song you heard before bedtime? Did your brain just pick the song by random...or was it a song you heard during your sleep? Scripture says God takes great delight in us and rejoices over us with singing (Jeremiah 3:17). It would be great to start a journal of the songs when you awake each morning; because, there's usually one in my heart. This mornings was "How Sweet the Sound" by Citizen Way. A part of the lyrics say, "Amazing grace how sweet the sound. I hear You singing over me...Amazing grace how sweet the sound, it covers every part of me...And it's a beautiful sound." Indeed, God singing over us could never be anything less than beautiful and so much more. It makes you want to sing along.

Held Fast

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast"- Psalms 139:9-10 (NIV).

We can't hide from God; He fills both the heavens and the earth (Jeremiah 23:24). Nor can anything in all creation, nor any power, separate us from Him (Romans 8:38-39). God is right in the midst of us all the time (Luke 17:21). Who are we to think we can understand the greatness of God?  He is unimaginable! He is so much than our mind's capacity to fathom: How great is our God (Job 11:7-9)! If it were possible to truly conceive His constant presence, how different would our lives look? Praise the Lord for His omnipresence, both guiding and holding us every second of our lives. 

His Good Purpose

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose"- Philippians 2:13 (NIV). 

God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. He called us, by name, before our substance, our bodies, ever had form (Isaiah 49.1). There is Divine purpose, His purpose, for our presence here and now. Our purpose may be unfulfilled due to the free-will God implanted in our hearts; but, when we choose to love Him, to be obedient, He empowers (John 14:15). God breathes, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Therefore, we cannot boast in our own strength (Ephesians 2:9). God asks, "Can an ax claim to be greater than the One who uses it; a saw more important than the One who saws with it; a club cannot lift itself" (Isaiah 10:15). Being God's instrument calls for patient endurance, obeying God and being faithful to Jesus (Revelation 14:12). "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).