The Storyteller: Great Banquet Day 2

The Insult
I have…I cannot come. Luke 14:20 ESV

Week in and out, we hear about God's abundant love for us through Christ Jesus. Maybe it's easy to get in the habit of expecting God’s grace. Have we ever stopped to think about the fact that we can and often insult God by taking him for granted?

That's what the parable of the Great Banquet was all about. A man throws a great party and invites people he cares about. But one after another, those intended guests announce they are too busy to show up for the party.The party is ready, so the man sends his servant to gather up the disreputable to fill the tables. Jesus concludes the tale by telling his hearers that none of the original guest list will be allowed in. They have insulted the generosity of this man.

How often do we do the same? How many times has God invited me to be near him and I've made another choice? How often have I chosen to check Facebook over a morning quiet time of prayer? I should consider for a moment that God created this world and then sacrificed the life of his only son just so he could be with me, and yet I find a way to say I'm too busy.

Thank God now, that Jesus died for your missteps. He even invites you to try again, to remember how much your heavenly father loves you and simply spend time with him!