Luke 14:16-17 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
These verses are self-explanatory that the Lord has prepared a great supper for us. In our context, it’s the church that allows us to gather and glorify our Lord together, and sing praise together versus worshiping him alone.
We need to take full advantage of that and also give full credit to all the leaders and members of the church who have put in the effort, labor, and sacrifice to make the church fellowship possible.
Think about all the sacrifices made by the martyrs, who were persecuted and died for Jesus so that they could preserve bible-believing truth for us today.
At times we may focus too much on our own thoughts and afflictions. Hence, we inflict a lot of pain on ourselves and tend to victimize ourselves for our insecurities. Nonetheless, if we were to look at the bigger picture, the Lord Jesus Christ and a lot of the Bible Believing religious leaders that have sacrificed so much more, and gritted their teeth even during the hardest of times, so that their knowledge of the truth can be passed down to us to allow us to be saved by the Grace of God.
It is important to not procrastinate; while we are enjoying the bliss and presence of the Holy Spirit, we need to keep the momentum going and serve the Lord with all our faith and heart.
Luke 14: 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
When it comes to worshiping God, we should not have the excuse to stop ourselves or to procrastinate. At times our flesh may deceive or persuade us to succumb to worldly desires, and stray away from living a sanctified life.
Are we really giving our all to God?
Worldliness, busyness, fighting within the church, trials, and pain are usually the four factors that stop us from going to church. We cannot rely on our church members or pastors to hold us accountable. It is God that will hold us accountable, yet He gave us the free will to choose, which is a blessed gift but also a great curse if we misuse it.
Nonetheless, God doesn’t want us to be depressed or miserable through the bleak situations in our lives. He wants us to experience the joy in him. Whatever issues we are facing, be honest and confess all of that in our prayers.
Don’t let excuses be the king over our lives, we have to not waste the free will given by God, but also the power granted by him through our prayers to overcome all afflictions in our lives.
Luke 14: 21-23 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Be grateful for the things others have prepared for us through their sacrifice, something very important for us to learn in our lives. If we take advantage of people’s kindness or even God’s arrangement, we need to be aware that God will move on and pick someone else to bless.
Take the church as an example. To the people who detest or reject the church, God will not wait. He will be turning the message and ministry to other communities who are more ready and willing to accept his words.
Unlike charismatic churches, we do not need compelling or worldly reasons to go to church. If we have the heart to seek God, to taste the supper of the Lord, this reason is enough for us to go to church, nothing else.