by Joyce
Luke 14: 12-24 “When you give al luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
The Parable of the Great Banquet
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was prepaing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me. “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his sevant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ “
Remember: It is by invite that we have been called and chosen and He has given us His grace and forgiveness; lest we forget and we become puffed up in our minds and hearts that it is by anythng we have done or accomplished or think that it is by anything that we know. Now just where did I set that invite — I have a banquet to get to?
Till the next time, this is the Voice of Joyce signing off …….
by Joyce
(This article taken from the Moody Monthly — published over 50 years ago.)
It may be a moment, or after months of waiting, but soon I shall stand before my Lord. Then in an instant all things will appear in new perspective.
Suddenly the things I thought important — tomorrow’s tasks, the plans for the dinner at my church, my success or failure in pleasing those around me — these will matter not at all. And the things to which I gave but little thought — the word about Christ to the man next door, the moment (how short it was) of earnest prayer for the Lord’s work in far-off lands, the confessing and forsaking of that secret sin — will stand as real and enduring.
Five minutes after I’m in heaven I’ll be overwhelmed by the truths I’ve known but somehow never grasped. I’ll realize then that it’s what I am in Christ that comes first with God, and that when I am right with Him, I do the things which please Him.
I’ll sense that it was not just how much I gave that mattered, but how I gave — and how much I withheld. In heaven I’ll wish with all my heart that I could reclaim a thousandth part of the time I’ve let slip through my fingers, that I could call back those countless conversations which could have glorified my Lord — but didn’t.
Five minutes after I’m in heaven, I believe I’ll wish with all my heart that I had risen more faithfully to read the Word of God and wait on Him in prayer — that I might have known Him while still on earth as He wanted me to know Him.
A thousand thoughts will press upon me, and though overwhelmed by the grace which admits me to my heavenly home, I’ll wonder at my aimless earthly life. I’ll wish… If one may wish in heaven — but it will be too late.
Heaven is real and hell is real, and eternity is but a breath away. Soon we shall be in the presence of the Lord we claim to serve. Why should we live as though salvation were a dream — as though we did not know?
”To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
There may yet be a little time. A new year dawns before us. God help us to live now in the light of a real tomorrow!
Till the next time, this is the Voice of Joyce signing off…….
by Joyce
I just received a card in the mail today from my youngest daughter; she is working and living in New York City. She is 26 years of age and is fulfilling her dreams and life’s ambitions.
On the front page of the card is written, “To have you for a mom is to have hope and strength and tremendous love always on my side.
Then written on the inside of the card are the words, “Lucky me.”
The card is just beautiful and it is so meaningful and I am treasuring it with all of my heart. However, as I sit back in my chair and reflect on these words I am reminded of past years while I was raising her and our other three children. I am mindful of the God who instilled me with that hope, that strength, that tremendous love that my daughter sees in me. And it is He (God) who is, who was, and who always will be by my side. It is He who I have turned to for guidance and direction — especially during the earlier and formidable years of teaching, training, and raising of our four children.
As I turn through the pages in the Scriptures I find in Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope; by the power of the Holy Spirit.
No wonder her card states, “to have you for a mom is to have hope.” According to the previous scripture that we have just shared, as God fills one with hope we then overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This hope overflows from us down on through our children or out to others that we have shared our lives with or others that we have come in contact with. What a tremendous love God pours out on us who turn to Him and seek Him for continual guidance. I am a living witness to the Living God of the bible.
In 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 we read: Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. Verses 16-18 state: But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Now there is something we can all partake in and share with our children, our families, our friends, our co-workers, our churches, and our neighbors. Let your face radiate the Lord’s glory. Read the scriptures and fill your mind and heart with God’s hope. Go ahead — blow the dust off that bible — God gives freely to those who seek Him. Some day you too may receive a card in the mail letting you know that your hope has overflowed.
Lucky me!
You bet. But luck has nothing to do with it. Living a life in the presence of God, acknowledging God, seeking God, believing God, praising God, growing in the faith of God, etc. Now that’s the LOVE that is always on my side and that is the LOVE that I give and pass on to my daughter and to all of my children, my grandchildren, my family, and to all those who wish. Psalm 9:10 Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.
Until the next time, this is the Voice of Joyce signing off…….
