Luke 13:23-30
A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?”
He
said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on
your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires
your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit
down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around
the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be
banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked
and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’
“You’ll
protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted
with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You
don’t know the first thing about me.’
“That’s when you’ll find
yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You’ll watch Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God’s kingdom. You’ll
watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down
at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside
looking in—and wondering what happened. This is the Great Reversal: the
last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending
up last.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
In recent weeks, the world
has mourned the passing of the artist known as Prince. For the first few
days, the news reports covered this man’s contribution to music and the
arts…and his lesser-known philanthropic efforts, such as purchasing
solar panels for homes in the San Francisco Bay area of California - and
his involvement in #YesWeCode, a program to “connect 100,000
low-opportunity young adults to high-paying careers in technology.”*
People
flocked to the grounds of Prince’s home, Paisley Park Studios outside
of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to pay their respects. They felt a
connection to this man. Perhaps they had attended one of his public
parties on the grounds…or maybe they just liked his music and his
kindness to others. But when the day came for family to gather for a
memorial service, most of those mourners stood outside the gates as cars
entered the compound – and the services were conducted in private for a
relative few people.
Now, reports are surfacing of family
members who are coming out of the woodwork to at least investigate
whether or not there might be something for them in Prince’s will. This
happens a lot…people claim they are “close friends” of someone or assume
they are “in the will” of a loved one who has passed. They just know
that Grandpa, Uncle Jim, or Aunt Sue left them an “inheritance.” After
all, haven’t they been “family” forever? Haven’t they spoken at holiday
dinners and reunions? Wasn’t there that one time when Aunt Sue needed a
ride to the doctor and they took her – or Grandpa and this person had
that really long conversation about the “good ole days?” Didn’t Uncle
Jim always send these family members money on their birthday? Surely he
left them something in the will! Besides, they are “blood kin!”
And
then the will is read…and all of the money and assets went to someone
else…or to a charity…or even to a beloved pet! It happens. And these
people who thought they were so special and “in the loop” are
standing on the outside – looking in with bewilderment and
disappointment – if not downright anger!
I attended a Priscilla
Shirer simulcast even recently, and one of the spiritual leaders who
assisted made a point to remind us that a lot of people think they know
God…that they have a “guaranteed seat” at His table in Heaven for all
eternity…and they are dead wrong. They’ve done the Bible studies and
attended worship every week…they’ve paid their tithes and worn the
crosses and t-shirts. They have prayed and “done good works.” And all
of that doesn’t add up to a hill of beans when they stand before
God…because they didn’t surrender their hearts fully to Him and really
get to know Him.
They didn’t trust God for everything.
They looked good on the outside…but there was no true salvation and
submission in their hearts. They were so busy doing that they didn’t take time to really get to know God…so they will be “turned away at the gate.”
What does this mean for us? The message today is to be certain
that you truly know God. No one can do this for you. You have to
spend time in His presence. You have to study the word of God for
yourself…and talk to Him – about everything – then listen
for His response. You have to seek His will for your life…then follow
His lead with obedience and faith that whatever God calls you to do - He
will equip you to complete.
Salvation in Jesus Christ is simple
and complicated all at once. It is as easy as confessing your sins to
Jesus and asking Him to forgive you and live in your heart. But the
work comes in staying in continual communion with Him…seeking His word
on your life at every turn – and walking in full obedience to His
commands. Do not assume that you are “in the will” when it comes to
God. KNOW that you will be an invited guest at His table. Start today
to fully engage with Him and be His faith-filled disciple, so that one
day when you approach the gates to His eternal home, they will be open
wide – and you will be more than welcome.
©2016 Debbie Robus
* http://YesWeCode.org
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