Thursday 13 Dec 2012

Thursday Reading: Matthew 22:2-14

Key Verse: Matthew 22:12
12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Devotion:
When I read this passage it draws such a picture of the state of our people today because there are many who will say that they are Christians but when it comes to actually doing something about it they are nowhere to be seen. It is like the people who profess to be Christians to others and yet they cannot find the time to be with the rest of the church on a day of worship. Now I know that there are many who will not agree with some of the ways of some of the church bodies, but there is a difference between ignoring the church body and disagreeing with it…

Christ invites us all in to be part of the church, but it is only the ones who respond to that call that will be called His people. The Israelites are the chosen people of God and they were invited in first of all, but because of their unbelief and their attitude toward God they were put aside for a season and other people invited in instead. God is not going to give up on anyone but will rather make sure that we each do get a chance to come to Him. If we are going to ignore that chance then be it on our own heads.

And then there is the other side that come along and do all the right things but just don’t seem to be right because they are the ones who are likened to the wedding guest that came dressed as normal instead of being dressed for the wedding. This is not to say that we have to be dressed up before we may enter into God’s house; this is just that we should show due respect for our God! If we are going to turn up and join in but not show reverence and respect where it is due, then we will quickly find that we are the ones who will get asked to leave the party!

There is no way that I can judge anyone one way or the other because I know that I have been guilty of so much in the past. I know that I am doing what I can to please God and live for Him nowadays. I also know that my past is my past and because I have asked God to forgive me of that past, He has been Just to forgive me as He promised. So how can I, or any of us, judge others when we do not know what is in their hearts. Let us leave the judging to the Righteous One, Jesus Christ and come to Him with reverence and fear.

Points to Ponder:
How do you approach friends?

How do you approach God?