Matthew 22:1-14
Rebecca Lightfoot
Almighty God,n HIS over abundance of Love,offers everyone an invitation 2 His Mercy&Grace!Tragically,many don’t even “RSVP”!Let alone “show up”!God’s Overwhelming Love is proven in the Persistence/Patience/Mercy/Grace of His “Invitation Message”!Jesus talks about this n Matthew22:1-14.A wedding is intended 2 b the celebration of a covenant forged w “Commitment&Love”!A covenant that “creates” a union intended 2 never b separated!The wedding that Jesus is talking about here is THE ONE that God is the “COVENANT KEEPER” of!The significance of this wedding is that it is the MOST JOYOUS of ALL CELEBRATIONS!The ONE that Almighty God conveys HIS LOVE,& the BESTOWING of HIS GLORY on HIS Bride(those that Trust Christ as Savior&Lord).Such a CELEBRATION compels those who “appreciate” the significance of it 2 “get cleaned up”&”dress appropriately”2 attend!God offers the “cleaning up”,&”the appropriate clothing” 2 us through Christ alone-His Mercy&Glory bestowed on those that turn to Christ 4 His Saving Mercy&Grace 2 become their “New Identity”!Jesus says that there is man who “shows up”,that is not “appropriately dressed”! This man has “answered the invitation” & “showed up”!But,he has not truly honored the significance of the invitation,nor WHO invited him.We do the same thing when we have a “show up” attitude n our lives about Jesus,& don’t internalize the significance of what Jesus invites us to,nor appreciate the “dress requirements”! We don’t have 2 go out of our way to find the right soap to wash with(legalistic thinking&actions),& the “right things to wear”....,Jesus provides both through His Blood & His Holy Spirit when we truly accept His invitation and commit to follow Him.This is how our lives r “clothed” to identify us as True ATTENDEES of the celebration,and not “imposters”that answered the invitation but did not take to heart what the “INVITER” was offering!These imposters want to be at the celebration,but don’t really appreciate “This Celebration” above any others n their lives!To just answer the invitation w a “show up” attitude is an indication of our lack of appreciation for what Jesus alone can & does offer us!N fact,this attitude flowing n&through our life may sadly mean that we could be an imposter!This “insincerity/imposter” n my life needs 2 b checked & dealt w!Jesus offers this Help through His Word & His Spirit...so my life “processes/challenges/experiences”,etc.,may all become part of the PREPARATION for my “attendance” to HIS CELEBRATION!Dear Lord Jesus,may my innermost parts know the significance of what YOU have invited me to!And May YOUR WORD & YOUR SPIRIT always b “processing & preparing” me for YOUR GREATEST of all Celebrations.