Is the Lord calling you? We do not want to take this for granted, thinking we have endless time to respond. A friend had drifted away from the Lord and began to live a life as a drug dealer, shutting out the voice of the Holy Spirit. One day, a drug deal suddenly went wrong, and he was shot and left for dead in an abandoned building. He was desperate and went in and out of consciousness for the next three days.
During this time of desperation, he called out to the Lord and repented of his sins. He thought no one would find him, and he would succumb to his wounds. Through a miracle, he was found, received medical care, and recovered. As he gave his testimony, he reflected that God had been calling him for a long time, but he did not respond until it was almost too late.
In his desperation, he came to his senses like a prodigal son. Many years later, he is still walking with the Lord and recently opened a homeless shelter to help others. Responding to God’s call to come to faith changed his life, and it can also change yours.
Jesus Reached Out to the Religious Leaders
Jesus traveled to Jerusalem, where He knew He would die for the sins of humanity on the cross. After three years of ministry, He became the final sacrifice for humanity. During this last week in Jerusalem, Jesus taught in the temple courts. Here, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him to listen to His parables. One of these parables was the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. Even though these religious leaders had hard hearts, Jesus reached out to them again, hoping they would come to Him.
Matthew 22:1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. [1]
As Jesus told the parable, the religious leaders did not realize the Lord Himself was trying to reach them. In this culture, two invitations were given to those who were to attend. The first invitation asked for people to attend, and the second told them the banquet was ready. The two separate invitations represent Jesus not calling us once and giving up but doing so repeatedly because He wants salvation for all.
Is Jesus Calling You?
Sometimes, we don’t realize how often the Lord calls us to come to faith until we reflect on our lives. Some people have known Jesus their entire lives, as they were introduced to Jesus as small children. Others come to Jesus as an adult. One never knows when the Lord will use you to reach out to someone with the Gospel as you go about your daily life.
Romans 10:14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” [2]
Is the Lord calling you? To find out more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/parable-of-the-banquet
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mt 22:1–3). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 10:14–15). Tyndale House Publishers.