God Never Declines an Invitation

Greetings,

As you may or may not know, I am currently learning French via an app on my phone.  This has been going on for almost three years, and I am ever so slowly but surely making progress.  One of the things I love about studying this romantic language is seeing how some of its words have infiltrated our American culture.  RSVP, for example, stands for rèpondez s’il vous plait, which means please respond. 

I am sure each of us has, at some time or another, issued invitations and then waited for folks to respond.  Sometimes people say “yes,” and sometimes people say “no.” And we respond to invitations the same way; sometimes we can go and sometimes we can’t. A couple of years ago, Jorge and I were invited to a wedding that was on the same day as our 30^th wedding anniversary.  We had already made plans and had to politely decline. 

Oh, but do I have some great news: GOD NEVER DECLINES AN INVITATION!

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.”

In other words, every single time you invite God into your situation, answers are given, solutions are found, and door are opened.  I would feel a lot differently if this verse said, “Ask, and keep on asking, and I, the Lord your God, will get around to helping you at some point but not right now.” Or, “Seek and keep on seeking, but I am busy right now so who knows when you will, if ever, find what you need.” Or, “Knock all you want.  I don’t feel like getting out of bed this morning;I have a bigger better party to attend to and can’t deal with you right now.”

How much better would your life be if every single time you prayed and asked God to show up, you accepted as fact that He did and always will? That You never ever have to include a “please RSVP” because He only has one response? His response is simply that He responds.

Psalm 120:1 I cried to the LORD in my distress, and He responded to me.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You always respond. And if we have to wait for a situation to improve or change because You know the best timing, we know that in the meantime, Your answers to us are always filled with peace and assurances that once we seek You, You’re are in control. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

RSVP

Tuesday greetings from sunny and beautiful South Florida!

It's been four years since I was busy preparing for Hormone's wedding, and three since Rachel's. (How can this be? Time has flown by!) And one of the details that I stressed over more than others were the RSVPs, which is an acronym for the lovely French phrase: Répondez S'il Vous Plaît - Reply, If You Please. In order to have the right amount of food, decorations, table settings, etc...it was important to know how many guests were attending.  

Including an RSVP is an elegant way of asking someone to either accept or decline your invitation, and in my case all I asked for was a simple email reply. Our Lord also has an RSVP - it's the Bible.

Verse after verse after verse is an invitation to secure eternal life, have peace, enjoy life, find guidance, be filled with joy, overflow with hope and healing... EVERYTHING we could possibly ever need or want has been provided graciously and abundantly by Christ.  The only thing left for us to do is respond.  Will we?

Will we say, "YES!" to the King of Kings and Lord of lords?  

I could not force anyone to attend my kids' weddings; they had to come of their own free will.  We must do the same with Christ.  The invitation has been issued for whoever wants it; we just have to RSVP.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We respond to Your goodness today and accept You into our lives.  We thank You for doing so much for us because we need You every single day.  We are grateful for your generosity and love.  Today we especially respond to Your invitation to provide peace. You said that when we pray Your peace would guard our hearts.  We receive it! In Jesus' name, AMEN. 

He Does Good Things For Us~

Christmas-is-two-weeks-from-today greetings!

“Prepare for God’s arrival! [clear away the obstacles]; Make the road straight and smooth.” Isaiah 40:3

I am going to a wedding the weekend after Christmas, and I am bringing a gift with me to give to the happy couple.  I received the invitation a couple of months ago, I RSVP’d that Jorge and I would attend, and then I bought a gift.  I think it’s fair to assume this couple is expecting us to attend the ceremony as well as receive a gift from us and from others at their wedding.

Likewise, if God is encouraging us to prepare for His arrival, it’s because He fully intends to come!  And when He comes, is He bringing a gift with Him?  No, He is not bringing a gift.  He is bringing several gifts! 

Here’s a partial list:

Do-overs, forgiveness, goodness, grace, guidance, healing, health, hope, joy, justice, laughter, light, love, mercy, opportunity, peace, protection, provision, redemption, wisdom…

Psalm 103:1 “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.”

He does good things for us, and the way “does” is used in this verse means it’s  ongoing.

Every single day that we breathe, amazing blessings can be ours.  But, and yes, there is a “but,” because relationships are a two-way street.  

We must do our part and prepare, and then He arrives.  We prepare by praying, by declaring our total dependence on Him.  By asking for forgiveness of our sins.  Look at that list above one more time.  Can we honestly attain any of those things without Him?

When we let Him know that we need Him, He shows up.  God will always come, without hesitation, to those who are ready for Him.    

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are ready.  We are ready for all the good things You want to do for us.  We open our hearts and our lives to receive You. Forgive us of our sins so that we can make room for all the beauty You are bringing with You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

No Match~

Tuesday greetings~

A part of yesterday's prayer said, "We must take the focus off our trials and focus on the One Who sees us through every single one."

How do we do that?

Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Yes, that's an invitation, and I am extending it to you!

Magnify means to enlarge and make bigger. And we magnify the Lord by praising Him more than worrying about our struggles. We make Him bigger by praying more then fretting. We enlarge Him by thinking about His goodness, strength, and unmatched power, and when we do that, our problems begin to pale in comparison.

It is natural to worry. We are good at it. There is not one place in the Bible that says, "You beautiful humans are so strong and able to rise above and never worry; good for you!"

On the contrary. Verse after verse, including the one above, encourages us to take proactive steps in order to have that joy and peace that seem so elusive at times.

No need to RSVP to my invitation. Let's do it!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We magnify You now by calling on Your powerful name! Help us, heal us, guide us, protect us, provide for us, give us peace and joy, and do the same for those we love. Nothing or no one can even come remotely close to Your magnificence, and we know it. All discouragement, suffering, and problems are no match for You. In Jesus' name, AMEN~