Invitation: an often-formal request to be present or participate
I have found that an invitation is the best way to get to know people. Inviting them to dinner, coffee, or an event, all adds to the experience of the invited person feeling accepted.
Invitation is what God does continually. As Jesus said:
Matthew 11 28Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
In the times we are living, we are seeing some horrendous events around the world. The wars in Ukraine and Israel remind me of the prophecy by Jesus:
Matthew 24 6And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
I don't want us to lose sight of God's invitation to keep us aware and alert. We are seeing the birth pains of what will lead to the day of His return. God invites us into His plan as He reveals it in His word. That invitation not only gives us a clue of what is about to happen, but it also gives us an invitation to prepare.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
The idea here is that we do not become disappointed in not seeing the immediate intervention by God on earth as we see the days, weeks, and years go by without His return. The watching is about how God’s Word is being revealed.
Luke 21 25And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
As God invites us to be prepared, He does not spare us the reality of how the beginning of the end of this world will happen. The distress of nations in perplexity is happening around the world. I find it interesting that God’s signs in the sun and moon and the roaring of the sea and waves, all speak to how the world interprets these things as global warming. That is how they can explain the changes in the earth's atmosphere and the climate changes on planet Earth. Notice the fear and foreboding of what is coming on earth. Give a global warming person time to talk and it becomes nothing more than fear of what is to happen if we don’t act now. When you do not consider there is a God, and He is ultimately overseeing the earth, all you have is the fear of the unknown. God invites us to know that the earth will be full of deception, destruction, and dismay as each year comes and goes without His return. It will become so bad, that men’s hearts will fail them because of the conditions around them.
God’s invitation is to give us a clear understanding of what is to come. Nothing will be held back because we will be in turbulent times. Then, God gives us hope and reminds us this will only be for a season. God invites us into the assurance of His return, and that His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom.
Psalm 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
God invites us into His salvation of His Son Jesus Christ, and we will no longer be estranged from Him. Because of the Cross, we become His kingdom.
John 3:16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
This is the greatest invitation anyone on earth has ever been given. This invitation by God is an indication He wants you to be with Him forever. You are not only wanted but you are desired. An invitation is always about the fact you are accepted and wanted.
My hope is that you will take God’s invitation to heart and inquire of Him today.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler