Dear <<First Name>>,

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Matthew 21:1-3

Some of the saddest words in the bible are recorded in this verse, "...but they refused to come." Why would anyone refuse to come to a wedding banquet prepared by a king? Even in our day, it would be the highlight of our lives to be invited to the White House to have dinner with the president no matter who was in office. But here, they refused to come. 

Jesus tells us in the parable three reasons for why the people didn't come. The first was that they did not pay attention to the invitation. They didn't put any thought into their spiritual life. Day after day the Holy Spirit is calling to us and welcoming us into the King's banquet. We can make light of it and tell ourselves, "maybe I'll visit you another day." 

The second reason was that they were too busy. Their busyness took priority over Kingdom life. When we become too busy for the care of our soul, we are always heading down a dangerous path. This is why we begin each day and throughout it to make Jesus the center of our lives. 

The third reason was that their "stuff" got in the way. There is a cost to following Jesus. We are not able pursue the world and the Kingdom at the same time. One will always take priority. Seeking security in this life is always an empty trap. 

As the invitation to come to Him is available to us today, let us not refuse, but rather run to the incredible party He is throwing for the Son. You don't want to miss it.

Here is reading for today: