Making room for God
This week's verses are: Luke 14:16-24:
In these verses, Jesus is explaining how so many people miss out on knowing him. A man rich enough to own a slave decides to have a banquet for his social circle but people all had other things going on when it came time, so they declined. If you look at the excuses, you see that they aren't bad excuses necessarily, just indications that life has gotten in the way. Nowadays the excuses might be "I just got hired for a new job and don't want to leave early" or "I need to get my car inspected" or "I have to do my taxes before the deadline" or "My girlfriend is sick and wants me to watch Netflix with her."
We've probably all heard last minute excuses like that when we've invited people over for dinner or to join us on an outing. And people always have reasons like those for skipping church on a Sunday. And yet if it was something really important to them, like a chance to meet a favourite celebrity or to potentially win a large sum of money, all of them would make room in their schedule for it. But for yet another social engagement, people's entanglements often take priority.
The people in the rich man's social circle had probably taken him and feasting for granted. If one of your friends invites you over for dinner, it's not going to be a chance of a lifetime. You can eat good food whenever you want, and chances are you're going to see that friend somewhere anyway. But for the poor people, the crippled, the blind, the lame, the wandering travellers and foreigners, being invited to an elaborate feast was a huge deal. (For some of them, being invited to anything was probably a huge deal.) Unlike the busy folks in the first guest list, these guys made room.
The result was that the people the man had picked out ended up missing out on his company and his hospitality, whereas people who weren't even in mind when he planned the feast were able to enjoy it. The condition of the people on the first guest list was worse, in the end, than that of a beggar!
We can sometimes see prayer and devotion as something ordinary like the guests saw the feast as ordinary and skippable. We can take prayer for granted, and it can seem like an impractical distraction from more important things. Most of us live good comfortable lives and have plenty of things going on. The view of an audience with God as something like a trip to the gym or going to class, a "nice to have" thing when it fits into our schedule, is a dangerous way to see things. If we say "meh, not this time," eventually there may not be another time.
A better view to have is that of the beggars and the needy and the drifters. Being able to share our lives with the God of the universe is a huge deal. The good things he can provide are not available anywhere else. To be able to sit with God and accept his gifts is a priceless luxury. If you look at where Christianity is really growing, it's with people groups who see prayer for the opportunity it is.
It's important that we make room for God in our lives. We may find that we're busy or distracted, but if we let life get in the way we will miss out on his company and hospitality. Like the rich man with the feast, God prefers those who desire his company above all things. Don't take him for granted and put him off.
But Jesus said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time for the banquet he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to examine them. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’ So the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ Then the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ So the master said to his slave, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads and urge people to come in, so that my house will be filled. For I tell you, not one of those individuals who were invited will taste my banquet!’”
In these verses, Jesus is explaining how so many people miss out on knowing him. A man rich enough to own a slave decides to have a banquet for his social circle but people all had other things going on when it came time, so they declined. If you look at the excuses, you see that they aren't bad excuses necessarily, just indications that life has gotten in the way. Nowadays the excuses might be "I just got hired for a new job and don't want to leave early" or "I need to get my car inspected" or "I have to do my taxes before the deadline" or "My girlfriend is sick and wants me to watch Netflix with her."
We've probably all heard last minute excuses like that when we've invited people over for dinner or to join us on an outing. And people always have reasons like those for skipping church on a Sunday. And yet if it was something really important to them, like a chance to meet a favourite celebrity or to potentially win a large sum of money, all of them would make room in their schedule for it. But for yet another social engagement, people's entanglements often take priority.
The people in the rich man's social circle had probably taken him and feasting for granted. If one of your friends invites you over for dinner, it's not going to be a chance of a lifetime. You can eat good food whenever you want, and chances are you're going to see that friend somewhere anyway. But for the poor people, the crippled, the blind, the lame, the wandering travellers and foreigners, being invited to an elaborate feast was a huge deal. (For some of them, being invited to anything was probably a huge deal.) Unlike the busy folks in the first guest list, these guys made room.
The result was that the people the man had picked out ended up missing out on his company and his hospitality, whereas people who weren't even in mind when he planned the feast were able to enjoy it. The condition of the people on the first guest list was worse, in the end, than that of a beggar!
We can sometimes see prayer and devotion as something ordinary like the guests saw the feast as ordinary and skippable. We can take prayer for granted, and it can seem like an impractical distraction from more important things. Most of us live good comfortable lives and have plenty of things going on. The view of an audience with God as something like a trip to the gym or going to class, a "nice to have" thing when it fits into our schedule, is a dangerous way to see things. If we say "meh, not this time," eventually there may not be another time.
A better view to have is that of the beggars and the needy and the drifters. Being able to share our lives with the God of the universe is a huge deal. The good things he can provide are not available anywhere else. To be able to sit with God and accept his gifts is a priceless luxury. If you look at where Christianity is really growing, it's with people groups who see prayer for the opportunity it is.
It's important that we make room for God in our lives. We may find that we're busy or distracted, but if we let life get in the way we will miss out on his company and hospitality. Like the rich man with the feast, God prefers those who desire his company above all things. Don't take him for granted and put him off.
Comments
Post a Comment