By Invitation Only

June 3

Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Luke 14:15

She had not always been a popular woman. But today they were begging for

an invitation to tonight’s party. Reporters lined the sidewalks by the gate, wait-

ing for her to appear and bless them with an invitation. They stood for hours,

waiting.

When the owner of the estate made her appearance, it was brief.

She smiled and read a short, prewritten statement: “As none of you

responded to my prior invitations, I have invited a select group to dine with

me tonight. My guests will be arriving momentarily. Please be considerate and

allow them to pass. Once again, this banquet is by invitation only. Please do not

attempt to gain entrance or you will be arrested, and I will press charges against

you.” With that, she returned to the house.

Ten minutes later, limousines from every escort company in the city began

pulling up to the gate. They provided proof of invitation and then drove to the

large portico and presented their guests to the hostess.

To the paparazzi’s amazement, the guests appeared to be beggars and

homeless people. The hostess had them chauffeured from their cardboard

homes as though they were royalty!

h

In the blink of an eye, all invitations to the feast in the kingdom will be sealed

and no more will be issued. The King will determine that the banquet should

begin, and there will be no admittance to those who do not have a personal

invitation.

Until then, God continues to issue an open invitation to any and all who

would receive Him. Because of the blood of Jesus we have the right to RSVP,

which is to tell the Host whether or not we plan to attend.

Those who respond will partake of all the goodness of the kingdom. They

will be seated in a position of prominence at the King’s table.

And just like those in today’s story, there will be many who will be turned

away, never having accepted God’s Son. Admittance to heaven is by invitation

only. Have you sent your RSVP?

Prayer

“I gratefully accept Your invitation today, Lord. Thank You for

sending Your Son to escort me to the dinner party. Amen.”

 The Knife

June 2

Fathers, do not exasperate your children.

Ephesians 6:4

At fifteen, Allen had been trying to get his father’s attention for as long as he

could remember. All he’d wanted was to play catch, a video game, maybe go

fishing or something. He just wanted to do anything with his dad, but his dad

was always too busy.

On an impulse, Allen took one of his dad’s special knives from his favorite

collection and sold it to a kid at school. He couldn’t tell you why he’d done it;

all he knew was that he was angry at his dad.

His silent cry for attention went unchecked for several weeks until one day

his dad asked, “Do you know where my knife is, Allen?”

“You mean the fancy hand-carved handled one in the case?” Allen baited

his dad, a look of defiance on his face.

His father bristled at his insolence. “Where is it, Allen?” he demanded.

Allen continued the farce. “Yeah, I remember seeing it somewhere; now,

where was that?”

“What’d you do with the knife, Allen?” his dad barked in response to

Allen’s attitude. He concluded with a consequence-inferred declaration, “You

tell me right now or so help me …”

“I sold it! Okay?” Allen screamed, red faced, tears streaming down his

cheeks. “So what? What’re you gonna do to me?”

h

Allen wanted what was rightfully his: love and attention from his father. And

though his actions were misguided, he contrived to get his father’s attention

any way he could.

When we fail to give our children our time and attention, they go else-

where to assuage their hunger for these inherent natural urges. Many substitute

drugs, alcohol, sex, and gang life—almost anything for the love they crave.

In the busyness of our society, our children quite literally are fending for

themselves. We shop them out to the closest family member or friend to give

ourselves time to fit one more thing into our already over-stuffed schedules,

only to find them disconnected, pregnant, and in trouble with the law.

Make no mistake: there is no replacement for our time. Our children need

not suffer exasperation. Give of yourself to those who matter most.

Prayer

“Lord, help me provide the love my kids need—

in time and affection, in connectivity and bonding.

In Jesus’ strength and Name, amen.”

 I Saw Jesus

June 1

When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they

did not believe it.

Mark 16:11

Annie is a thirty-seven-year-old woman who, by the world’s standards, is men-

tally retarded and socially challenged. The morning’s conversation had been

engaging, causing Brenda to recall a similar dialogue from last year when

Annie had looked up from her pancakes and quite deliberately asked, “What

color is Jesus?”

Brenda had cautiously asked, “Why?”

“Well, in the Jesus movies, He’s white. I think He’s black!” was Annie’s

adamant response.

“Really? What makes you think Jesus is black?” had been Brenda’s curious

response.

“I saw Jesus!” Annie had animatedly said. “His hair isn’t long either; it’s

short and curly!” Brenda had explained to Annie that Jesus, being a Jew, would

have darker skin, curly hair, and, more than likely, He had dark brown eyes.

This morning’s discussion gave Brenda a sudden inspiration; she prompted

Annie, “I forget, Annie, when did you see Jesus?”

“ ‘member when I got my teeth pulled? I saw Jesus then. I wanted to go

with Him, but He said it wasn’t time, and I had to come back.” Brenda remem-

bered! Annie’s blood pressure had plummeted from the anesthesia during her

dental surgery. The surgeon had been extremely concerned.

Annie’s recalling of last year’s event had been word for word! Had Annie

actually seen Jesus?

h

Many people have related stories of Jesus appearing to them in a dream or

vision; some claim to have seen Him in the flesh.

What causes us to struggle with Jesus appearing in the here and now? By

and large, it’s because just like the disciples, we doubt until He appears to us!

Most of us won’t see Jesus face to face until the day He takes us home. It’s dif-

ficult for us to deal with Jesus showing Himself to others and not us. It’s an assault

on our pride to allow someone else to see Him while we may not get to this side of

heaven. And even though Scripture relates over forty days’ worth of Jesus appear-

ing to some five hundred people following the resurrection, not everyone saw Him.

He asks most of us to believe in faith and accept the witness of those, like

Annie, who have seen Him.

Prayer

“Lord, help my faith be strong enough to not only not discount

other people’s claims of seeing You, but also to believe. Amen.”

 Spiritually Fit

May 31

Train yourselves to be godly.

1 Timothy 4:7

“C’mon, B.J., let’s go!” Max’s less-than-enthusiastic wife was lagging a bit this

morning. Just being awake at 6:00 a.m. was a sacrifice in her book! “I know it’s

rough getting up so early, but it’s the only opportunity we have. Now, c’mon.”

They headed out into the cool morning air, stretched, and then jogged the

mile to the health club. Once there, they stretched again, loosening up tight

muscles from their run, and then began their respective workouts.

Fifteen minutes later, B.J. looked toward her husband and said with a sly

smile, “You know, Max, I love how I feel when we get home; I just hate the

work. I don’t so much mind the workout once I get started; I just don’t look

forward to it.”

“I know,” Max responded. “But the reward has been huge. Look at you.

You look great! And I’ve increased my bench press to 270 pounds in just three

months. I feel stronger now than I did when I was twenty!”

They completed their workouts, jogged home, showered, and then headed

for work.

h

Physical training can be unpleasant. Yet the rewards are tremendous. Exercis-

ing our body gives us strength we can draw upon each day.

Just as work in the gym may not be fondly anticipated, our daily mental

preparation can be a challenge. Knowing what to do in response to the prob-

lems that arise requires educating ourselves ahead of time. Gaining additional

wisdom should always be our goal.

Even more crucial is our spiritual fitness! It must be determinedly attended

to; otherwise, we have little or no effect in the kingdom. Paul said he worked

harder than everyone else so that he, by God’s grace, might do the work Christ

called him to (1 Corinthians 15:10). His instruction in his first letter to Timothy

was straightforward: it requires training to be godly! Paul’s words were also

penned for us.

We are chosen and appointed to do good works ( John 15:16). Only as a

result of constant spiritual training can we expect to have the strength to per-

form the work as opportunities present themselves.

Prayer

“Lord, help me stay well established in Your Word. On

days when I am lax, remind me of the training required

to do good works. Pump me up spiritually! Amen.”

 Marshmallows

May 30

… while we wait …

Titus 2:13

The Sunday school teacher placed one marshmallow in front of each of her ten

students. “Please wait to eat your marshmallow until I say it’s all right. Once

I give you permission, you are free to eat it. I must leave the room. If you wait

to eat your marshmallow until I return, I will give you a second marshmallow.

If you choose to eat it before I return, you will not receive a second one.” With

that, she left the room.

Six of the children immediately grabbed and ate their marshmallow.

Three children sat patiently, hands in their laps, watching their peers enjoy

the tasty treat.

As time passed, the wait showed on one little boy. Just as he grabbed his

marshmallow, the teacher opened the door! The boy slowly placed it back on

the table.

The teacher acknowledged the four children’s restraint. “You didn’t give in

to a desire to eat your marshmallow.” Placing a second marshmallow in front

of them, she continued, “Here is your reward for waiting.”

She then announced, “I must leave again. If both marshmallows are

uneaten when I return, I will give you two more.” The kids who had eaten their

marshmallow were visibly disappointed. “For those who ate their marshmal-

low, if you will remain seated and silent until I return, I will give you one more

marshmallow.” With consequences versus reward fresh in their minds, the six

remained quietly in their seats.

h

The temptation to eat our marshmallows is great. Without hesitation, many of

us devour them without a second thought. The hope within the promise isn’t

tangible enough to discipline our desires. But once we witness the reward of

self-discipline, we gain new perspective, one that gives us hope.

“While we wait” is not a passive proclamation. It is an action-filled oppor-

tunity to bring ourselves under the control of Someone else in the hope of

being rewarded with a life more like Christ’s, full of love, joy, and peace.

Watching someone else do it gives us hope. Our struggle gets easier as we

experience the reward.

Prayer

“The temptation is great, Lord. I can’t do this

on my own, I need Your help. Teach me to wait

on Your reward. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Being Busy For Jesus!

May 29

and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

1Corinthians 3:13

Tom and Galinda were exhausted. Misguidedly, they believed that laboring for

the Lord was meant to be that way. “After all,” Tom was fond of saying, “the

Bible says, ‘each will be rewarded according to his labor’ so the more we labor, the

bigger the reward!” And with that mindset they went about being busy for Jesus!

They had a plan and disciplined themselves to stick to it. Their satisfaction at

the end of each day began to wane but they pushed on, knowing things would

get better if they just stuck to their plan. After all, Jesus expected them to stay

busy … didn’t He?

After ten years of non-stop being busy for Jesus, they felt more like under-

appreciated and underpaid employees than servants of the King. Serving had

gone from a labor of love to hard labor. They couldn’t remember the last time

they’d actually enjoyed what they were doing. To the best of their recollection it

had been years. And weren’t they supposed to be compensated for their labor?

Hadn’t God promise them an exciting life of service with reward? This cer-

tainly wasn’t rewarding! They had even forgone having children so they could

commit more time to God’s work!

Disgruntled and disillusioned, they resigned as committee heads of every

group they were involved in, and left the church.

h

God’s people are designed to serve Him with zeal and passion. Yet sadly, many

equate busyness to quality of service. Spurred on by this mentality they set to

work, not understanding that what they’re doing is not what God wants.

Failing to ask God what’s important to Him will lead to spiritual frustra-

tion and a sense of overwhelming disappointment. Many Christians live in

perpetual turmoil, never understanding they are laboring in vain, and their

works will be consumed by fire. They themselves will be saved, but their work

will be consumed.

Being busy for Jesus isn’t God’s idea of service. If we make time each morn-

ing to ask for instruction we will remove a lot of stress from our lives, and our

works will stand the fiery test.

Prayer

“Good morning, Lord. I want to do what You want me

to do today. What would You have me do? Amen.”

 The Chrysalis

May 28

Behold, I make all things new.

Revelation 21:5 (kjv)

Sitting alone in the woods, contemplating her life, Bryanna wondered how she

could have slipped so far from the life she’d envisioned for herself as a child.

Only now did she understand the destruction she’d caused and realize her

inability to atone for her mistakes. “Lord, if You’re really here, now would be a

good time to show Yourself,” she said aloud, thinking there was about a one in

a billion chance of Him showing up.

But to her utter amazement, He appeared in the next moment. As she sur-

veyed her surroundings, Bryanna noticed something hanging from the small

limb of a nearby bush. Moving closer, she realized with wonder that she was

looking at a chrysalis. A caterpillar had woven its cocoon recently, and had

begun the metamorphosis to its current state. Now, a butterfly was fighting to

emerge from its protection to begin a new life.

She knelt and watched as the struggle culminated with the butterfly’s

emergence. It hung from its transitory dwelling, drying its wings in the bril-

liant sunlight. Then it flew away. As she watched it light on flower after flower,

she heard God whisper, “You too can begin a new life, Bryanna. It will require

a bit of struggle, but the change can be as dramatic as this insect’s you just

witnessed. Would you trust Me to make things new?”

h

How sweet is the knowledge that God makes things new each time we bring

our pitfalls to His throne, laying them before Him, asking forgiveness! And

how many times have we, like Bryanna, made a mess of things, only to seek

God’s intervention? It is beyond human comprehension how God can forgive

the vile things we have done and then forget them. But He does, and He will.

And the life we are able to live following repentance is a life unmarred by past

sin.

Today’s text speaks of God’s loving mercy. It is powerful enough to recre-

ate our lives, making us brand new. But only if we accept His Son as our Savior

and come asking forgiveness. If we do this, He promises we will be changed!

Prayer

“Lord, change me from who I am today. Transform

my life and make me new. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”