This past week I have been really into invitations. I was filling out several the other night for our annual harvest/halloween party on october 31. I also have been looking around the past week for a great looking Christmas invitation for our large family gathering we will be having in December. So in one week I have looked at and filled out several invitations.
Every invitation is built around its theme.I was reminded this morning when I opened up to Isaiah 55 of the Invitation to Abundant Life!
The theme of God's invite is abundant life. About three years ago I wrote a message that I was speaking on called "Your Invited." Thankfully I found the message in my files this morning.
Today you can find invitations for just about any theme. An Oscar party, girls night out, purse parties, jewelery parties and much more! Our pet dogs, Bella and Buddy just received an invitation to a costume party at Pet Smart for this Saturday offering treat bags, Halloween parade and costume contest. Yes, my girls are bugging me to take the lab and chihuahua in full costume. I have not responded with an answer yet!
The theme of God's invite is Abundant Life! He is having a party for everyone to feast on His rich, delicious dishes that delight our taste buds and fill our stomachs. It is also free and ALL YOU CAN EAT!
Gods invitation reads "ABUNDANT LIFE PARTY", the host is very gracious.
So who is invited and on His guest list?
In the text from Isaiah 55:1- 5 it states..
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."
In the text Isaiah was speaking to the exiled Israelites who were carried away from there homes to Babylon about 600 years before Jesus. Isaiah had strong words for those people. The exiles are people looking for a message of hope and promises to speak into their empty lives.
WE are much like the Isrealites living in our own Babylon. We are people carried away looking for a message of hope and a promise to speak to a certain area of our life. We are thirsty people, we work so hard in this life leaving us only more dehydrated. We shop to bring contentment, we work for promotions promising success, we longed to be loved ending up used. We strive to be affirmed and accepted only to be rejected.
Isaiah's writing speaks to us today... "Everyone who thirst, come to me." God's question to us is "Why do you spend money for what is not bread"? God is wanting to offer us everything freely to give His people abundant life. The products and things of this world will never satisfy. We all were wired to only be satisfied in Jesus. I am a very strong willed person and took me a long time to realize that I could not make things right no matter how hard I tried. I needed to respond to God in obedience and enjoy the good life He had waiting for me.
In Isaiah 55: 8-9 it states... "For my thoughts are not your thoughts nor your ways My ways," Says the Lord, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."
The Lord is reminding me this very morning that His ways are so much better! Not one person can help you with your past and future. Only God has the understanding and eternal perspective that is beyond our personal comprehension. The concept of God is knowable and even communicable to men the key is whether or not we are responding.
The final part of an invitation is the most important part of the invite. Usually at the bottom in bold it will say RSVP. Respond Please
God is asking us to Respond to His invitation. He has perfect salvation for us all. The free gift of God's righteousness is available to us all through the salvation He alone provides. The invitation is open to all willing to come. In today's text it indicates that this world will be a waste of our time when we are feeling empty and lost. It will never satisfy our souls. It's so easy to get caught up in the material blessings of life and miss the whole purposes of why we where created.
Eternal life on earth lies at the door of death. Your personal struggles or let me please say your personal death can be a discovery that leads to the door of your DESTINY!
Respond please and open that Door. Make a decision. Your entrance into His presence is not based on your worthiness but on the worthiness of Jesus Christ.
Open that Door friends and Respond Please! You will never know what is waiting behind your door to destiny.
I would love to share the first prayer I ever prayed on my knees when I was ready to fully respond
Dear Jesus,
I know of you but I do not think I really KNOW YOU!
Please for give me, I know that I am a sinner and I believe Jesus came to me and took my sins to the cross and died in my place. He paid it all for me. I am willing but do not know how to turn and change. I invite Jesus to come into my life and into my heart. I am willing to follow and learn to obey. Jesus is higher than all my ways.
Amen
If this was your first time willingly responding to the invitation please email me at
heather@hbministries.com , I would love to pray
Blessings friends,
