Celebrate 4

John 21:4-6

One time when fishing with my dad and a cousin on the banks of the Ohio River a small, commercial fishing boat pulled up to unload their catch. The first was so big one of the men needed both hands and all of his strength to heft it out of the holding tank. Others followed, huge fish, scooped out with a big net that was full to almost bursting with the weight of them. When they were done they came over with half a dozen big fish and tossed them to us. They said they wanted us to have them because our reaction to what they were doing had entertained them.

In John 21 we are given an account of Jesus with his disciples. What are the disciples doing? What does Jesus suggest? What is the result?

Jesus gathered his first disciples by telling them he would make them fishers of men. He meant that they would be going out into the world and “catching” people who needed to have a connection to God, who needed to have hope and joy brought into their lives through the presence of God.

This encounter in Luke 21 is a reminder that with the direction from Jesus his followers could find a large number of people who could be brought in to the kingdom of God. And when those who are lost are brought in they can become part of the wonderful banquet of God’s goodness.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, as we gather to celebrate, we should remember not only to celebrate the abundance of blessings we have, but also that we should be willing to share our abundance. And that abundance that we share is more than just material possessions. We are blessed with an abundance of love, mercy and peace from God. This is also what we should share with others.

And not only should we see that we need to share our abundance with others, we should see that there is an abundance of needy souls out in the world that should be brought in to the feast that God offers. As we recognize the feast of love and grace God gives us, let us also recognize that there are so many others who deserve to have that same fulfilling relationship with Jesus. We can be the people who make the banquet full and complete when we invite the stranger to be part of our worship and part of our own faith journey.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Is there someone who needs you to invite them to God’s feast?

We Are Invited 1

Luke 14:22-23

A struggle my family has had with my mother over the years has been her desire to be entertained. She loves to have a party and would enjoy the company of visitors every night of the week, it would seem. She has always loved to be occupied, to be engaged in card games and board games and light conversation. Growing up, we were busy every weekend, Friday night and Saturday night, visiting friends or relatives or having others over to our house as guests.

That same attitude of enjoying togetherness seems to be seen in our God. While eating at the house of a Pharisee Jesus told a parable about a wealthy man who planned a banquet and invited guests. The guests, however, refused to come, and so the man had his servant invite poor and crippled people in to his home.

What does the servant tell the master? What does the master command? Why?

Just as my mother liked to be in the company of others, so our God enjoys a relationship with us. The parable Jesus used to teach his lessons is a story that represents deeper meanings.

In the parable the man holding the banquet is God. The servant sent out to invite others in is Jesus. The banquet can represent heaven, or it can be the great and wonderful abundance of goodness and blessings that God gives us in our lives.

Now we must look at those who are invited to the banquet. The first group of people invited refused to come. One by one they made up excuses as to why they could not attend.

Are we like that? Do we refuse to accept the invitation from God to be part of His goodness and abundance?

Since those who were invited would not come, the man ordered that strangers, needy, poor, lame, struggling people should all be brought in to the banquet. Why? Because he wanted his house to be filled.

God desires that His house be filled. God desires that we be part of this wonderful relationship that He offers to us, that we be the people who fill His house. God invites us to come and be part of His blessings because He wants His house filled with joy and love.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be certain to accept God’s invitation?

Rejected 5

Psalm 1:1-3

Last summer we had quite a dry spell with no rain. We had just planted some trees in the front yard, so we had to deliberately water those trees almost daily to help them survive the hot and arid weather. The grass on the lawn was brown and dry, but the trees kept their green leaves.

Such an image is presented in Psalm 1. What should a person NOT do to be blessed? What should a person do to be blessed? To what is a person who delights in the law of God compared?

God’s blessings are waiting for us. He wants to fill our lives with goodness, mercy and love. But we can easily fall into our sinful, human nature and miss out on the blessings that are offered.

Getting caught up in wrong actions and wrong attitudes, falling to the temptations of the world, or joining in with those who criticize and judge and mock others can leave us in a spiritual desert. In contrast, we can be aware that God wants to bless us and we can dedicate ourselves to studying God’s word and trying to live as true Christians. Such a life will bring us blessings from God.

We will become like a well-watered tree, growing and blossoming in strength and goodness. We will be able to yield good fruit – the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of being a true Christian. Our souls and our hearts will not wither, and all that we do will prosper if we act in faith and serve God.

The blessings from God can be too easily rejected or overlooked if we do not spend our time delighting in God and being attentive to His commands. Living in communion with the Holy Spirit will bring us to God’s great table of abundance?

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you delight in the law of the Lord? How can you meditate on God’s law?

Rejected 4

1 Samuel 25:18-20

While on our mission trip I lost my pocket-knife, a gift from a friend. I was very disappointed until, at the end of the day, I looked in the vehicle we had ridden in and found it laying on the floor. What a relief.

Nabal’s rejection of David has incurred the warrior’s wrath. David has called his soldiers to arms and is heading toward Nabal’s home to deal harshly with the man. What did Nabal’s wife, Abigail, do?

The story of Nabal, Abigail and David spans all of 1 Samuel 25. Nabal has missed an opportunity to be blessed, and instead stands in jeopardy of being executed. But Abigail recognizes that gratitude must be shown to David. She is also probably aware that showing David kindness will result in more blessings.

Abigail acts quickly and prepares the gifts of food that David wants, then goes out with them to meet this powerful man. Her actions save her husband’s life, although he is not aware of this until later.

When Nabal finally realizes what he has done, fear (and God) strike him dead. For her kindness, David sends word that he would like to take Abigail as his wife, and she agrees.

Crisis averted (mostly). The blessings once rejected are now received and all is well.

We may, through our own wrong decisions or through inattentiveness, bypass the chance to receive God’s blessings. There are times when we get caught up in our worries or doubts and fail to see what God is offering us.

But the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew and the story of Abigail show us that God’s blessings do not wither or grow stale. They may pass on to others, or they may be waiting for us to finally claim them. God is abounding in love and mercy, and His abundant blessings are waiting for us to turn to Him and receive them.

As Christians we should never abandon hope. We must work to forget our past mistakes and be attentive and dedicated to serving God, and being receptive to His table of blessings.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Where might you find God’s blessings?

Rejected 3

1 Samuel 25:9-13

My sister shared the story of when she and her friends went to Washington, D.C. and visited the Smithsonian Institute. They wanted to see the big American flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner.” They searched for a long time through the halls of the building unable to find this famous icon. They came at last to one of the workers there and asked where they might find the flag.

“You mean that one?” he asked, pointing to the wall behind them. What they were looking for was practically under their noses, yet they had not seen it. The same can be true of the blessings God offers.

In this passage David has sent a message to Nabal asking that David’s men, those who have helped protect Nabal, will be given food. What is Nabal’s response? How does David react?

Nabal is a wealthy man with property, goats and sheep. Unbeknownst to Nabal, while his servants were out tending their flocks David’s soldiers were kind to them, offering protection through their presence and treating them with respect. Now David would like to share in some of the blessings that Nabal is enjoying.

But Nabal is a surly and mean-spirited man and refuses to offer hospitality to David’s men. This is a mistake.

For one thing, Nabal owes David some gratitude for the way his servants have been treated. Second, being hospitable to a man as powerful as David would result in good things for Nabal.

But Nabal does not see this. He is not aware of the blessings he has already received, nor is he aware of what he could receive, so he rejects David’s request. In so doing he is rejecting potential blessings and stirring the wrath of David.

How often in our own lives do we overlook the blessings that we have already received? How often do we reject the opportunity for more blessings?

Those people I have encountered who can not find it in themselves to believe in God claim that their lives are filled with hardships. How can there be a God? They do not see the goodness that God gives freely every day. They do not see the blessings they have already received, and then pass over the opportunity to receive more.

God has given us many good and wonderful blessings, and He will give us more if we will simply accept them. But first we must recognize what we have received and be attentive to opportunities to accept God’s invitation to more.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you list the blessings God has already given you?

Rejected 2

Matthew 22:8-10

At our previous church we held a catered dinner at Christmas for the congregation. The meal was delicious and a bit fancy. When it was over we had sufficient food left over that we were able to take several complete meals to a nearby shelter, feeding all the residents.

What a delight it was to me to be able to provide direct and tangible help to people in need, and what a wonderful treat that must have been to those people – a lovely, catered meal.

Continuing with the parable of the wedding banquet, there is a great abundance of food that has been prepared, but the invited guests have rejected it. What does the king command? What is the result?

Specifically, this parable addresses the fact that Jesus was sent by God to offer salvation to the Jews, God’s chosen people. But most of the Jews rejected Christ, choosing not to accept him as the Messiah. Now, the message and offer of salvation – the banquet of God’s abundance – is being given to anyone, Jew or Gentile, who will believe.

But this parable can apply to any of us today. The blessings of God, if rejected, are not wasted. If any person chooses not to accept the blessings of God, not to accept God’s mercy and love, these gifts do not wither or diminish.

Instead these blessings pass on to those who will indeed believe and receive. If you will not come to the table of God and take part in His abundant mercy and goodness, there are others who will come.

And that is part of our work as believers. We are to be like the servants, going out in the world and finding all those who are willing to receive from God. Just as in the parable of the wedding banquet, God desires that His hall be filled with guests.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you help to fill God’s hall with guests?