“Taste My Dinner”
Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave
a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave
to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But
they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a
piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another
said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please
accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I
cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the
owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the
streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind,
and the lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and
there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads
and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my
house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were
invited will taste my dinner.’”
Now large crowds were traveling with
him; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate
father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life
itself, cannot be my disciple.
Jesus warned us that anything that
competes with Him for our hearts can choke our spiritual lives. He said that
even the natural love of family can be dangerous and keep us from following
Him. Our Lord demands our undivided love and loyalty. Do not let anything
compete with Christ. The more we love Christ, the more we will love others.
Our Daily
Bread –