This Sunday

Scripture Passage: Luke 14:15-24

The Big Idea: Good things, even God’s blessings, can become excuses or distractions that keep us from the best thing: to “sit at His banquet table” to enjoy a rich, personal relationship with the Lord as devoted followers of Christ.

A Jewish invitation to a great banquet was a two-part process: the initial invitation and then the summons announcing, “Come, the banquet is ready.” The Jews’ acceptance of the promise of a coming Messiah and an eternal Kingdom of God represented the first part of God’s invitation. However, they failed to accept the second part, the summons of Jesus: to embrace Him as the Messiah and take their place in His presence at His table. Instead, they had excuses. One needed to inspect a field he had purchased — the blessing of possessions. Another wanted to test the oxen he had bought — the blessing of work. Another declined because he was recently married — the blessing of relationships.

None of these things was sinful; they were blessings. Yet even blessings from the LORD can become barriers to our relationship with Jesus. In our fast-paced, consumer-driven world, the blessings of work, ministry, relationships, possessions, as well as activities, can consume our attention and crowd out our devotion to Him. They can become our excuses for failing to follow the Lord closely and sit at His table.

We can enjoy the blessings of the Lord, but miss out on the greatest blessing: to enjoy His presence as we taste and see all that He has prepared for us. 

The Call to Action

In the next week, identify:

• One good thing, one blessing in their lives that has quietly become an excuse or reason to neglect time in the presence of Jesus. 
• One thing, even the unintentional busyness of activities, that consumes too much of the day at the expense of time “sitting at the LORD’s table.” 

The goal may not be elimination, but rather limiting or prioritizing. Perhaps it is setting aside each day intentional time for prayer and a few quiet moments reading the Scriptures— prioritizing worship and fellowship with the LORD instead of nonstop busyness. It can mean faithfully, consistently gathering with the church family to experience the Lord’s presence together through worship and the teaching of His Word. Or it can mean joining a community group where their relationship with the Lord grows stronger as they build deeper relationships with fellow followers of Jesus.