Daily Devotional #1,426

I have my work cut out for me this week! In all the excitement of worship on Sunday, I forgot to remind our gang about the belated Valentine’s Dinner we are going to have on Friday night!! We moved it away from the actual Valentine’s Day because of a conflict so Valentine’s is not on people’s minds right now. I’m going to have to send out notices, make phone calls and text personal invitations to get our folks out that night. As I thought about how I was going to do that, I was reminded of a story that Jesus told about getting people to respond to God’s invitation to join him in his everlasting kingdom. In the story there is a king who has invited his people to a great banquet. But they hadn’t responded to his invitation…which is really to be forgiven and spend eternity in heaven. They all decided that they couldn’t come, so he told his servants to go out and invite everyone on the streets they could find. And they went out and apparently got the good, the bad and then ugly. And his banquet hall was filled with guests who responded to God’s eternal invitation. That is a reminder to us. God has given us the charge to make sure that everyone has an invitation to the eternal party that he is throwing for all humans who will respond and receive his offer. So, get the word out that there the God of the universe is extending an invitation to the people of earth, to be his guests. A party where we will celebrate God’s goodness and forgiveness and enjoy him forever. God doesn’t want anyone to miss this party! And maybe I’ll do the same this week and see if I can fill up our banquet hall for our dinner too!

Here’s our Bible verse for today…

Matthew 22:9-10 NLT Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ (10) So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

Remember I’m praying for you…
With love, Pastor Joe