An Expanded Guest List

"And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests." -Matthew 22:10

The kingdom of God is like a king who invited guests to a wedding feast, but the invited guests wouldn't come. They just had better things to do. So the king sent his servants to bring others in — all sorts of people.

This is the kingdom. The expectations of who is on the list sometimes might surprise us, but it should delight us because we are now on it!

Think about it. You, in your sin and disobedience, don't rate as invitation material. You know that about yourself, even on your best days. But the King wants his party stocked with those who come to him. In Jesus, we are clothed with wedding garments of his righteousness, and we get to dance to the wee hours at this party. All because the King said to invite as many as we can find.

Today, recognize your place at the party. Because of Jesus and his sacrificial work for you, you are invited in and given the right to stay. Now from that position, why not invite others in? Tell them about the King. Tell them the good news of Jesus, and dance a little!

Always the Same, Always Under Grace

“[F]or my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” -Jeremiah 2:13

This is the human story. We are inherently inclined to forsake our creator and attempt to find fulfillment, rest, and real life in lesser things. The list could be quite long. Maybe we labor toward success in business, thinking it will satisfy. Perhaps we strive toward a perfect public persona, thinking will finally make us feel whole. These are examples of the “cisterns” we have hewed for ourselves. In pursuit of our self-constructed sources of life, we turn our backs on the only true source.

God has not left us hopeless, however; there is a way back to him as the fountain. Even as we draw dust from these broken cisterns, Jesus stands ready to pour out more of his living water for us, to refresh and bring us back to God. His grace says that we are forgiven and made righteous in him, regardless of how many broken cisterns we have frequented.

The grace of Jesus is our hydration; it quenches our lingering thirst, and the more we embrace him as the fountain of living waters, the less we run to the idols that leave us parched and dying.

Today, do you feel drawn toward lesser things? Draw again from the well of grace, and drink deeply of Jesus' living water for you. Know you are covered, welcomed, and secure in Christ. Then dance in the rain of his abundant grace for you.