“And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; please consider me excused.’ And another one said, ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ And another one said, ‘I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’”
As we schedule events in life, we inevitably hit conflicts with things we cannot attend. We send our regrets and move on with life. But there are certain things that we would not miss, no matter what. Our prior plans fade away if we come across something important enough. In this passage, the responses were different, but they all shared the same theme: “We have other things to do.” Other matters were more important to these guests than the banquet. They asked to be excused from this grand invitation that had been prepared in advance for them specifically.
At face value, these excuses feel very obviously ridiculous when we consider being invited to God’s banquet. How could these excuses compare to such a large and luxurious banquet? Yet, we make this same error when we neglect our relationship with God. As we put Him off because of work commitments, busyness, or other people, we foolishly miss out on the best invitation we have received. Nothing is more important than eternal life with God that begins now.
- What are some of excuses you give for neglecting a relationship with God?
- What things feel pressing and more important than your relationship with God right now? How can you submit these to Him?
- Ask God to help you prioritize His daily invitation to receive His call in your life.
