Make Good Choices
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, thank you for your invitation and your plan of salvation for us. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight,” (Ephesians 1:4, NIV).
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
II Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
REFLECT:
One of the first cruises I went on, I went with my family, my sister and niece. The cruise had two dinner nights where formal attire was required to be able to attend. I remember thinking how disappointed I was not to be able to attend either meal, thinking to myself, “I bet these will turn out to be the best food of the entire cruise!” So, a few years later, at the next opportunity I had to be a part of a cruise, I made sure I packed slacks, a jacket, and a nice shirt, to be able to attend the formal dinners. You see, I remembered how disappointed I was that I could not attend the formal dinners of my first cruise, and I wasn’t going to miss out again! This story is very similar to the parable Jesus tells of the wedding feast, in Matthew 22:11, where the guests needed to have the right attire to enter there, as well. This wedding feast will be a feast no one will want to miss!
When you look deeper into the meaning of this parable, Matthew Henry’s commentary explains that the man was not dressed in “the righteousness of Christ.” That is what resulted in his eviction. We must all acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to be saved and to be welcomed at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God. To be in the family of God, you must put on the righteousness of Christ to enter in. Psalm 37:28, NIV says, “For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 18:24, NIV says, “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.” Ultimately, our surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Our works will never save us – none of us are good enough. But Salvation through Christ is the only way! “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,” I Timothy 2:5, NIV.
APPLY:
Do you know of anyone in your life who has not yet surrendered their life to Jesus? Who does not yet have on the garment of righteousness that we as believers do? Pray that God would make an opportunity for you to share your faith in Jesus Christ with them or that he would open the door to start a conversation with them that would lead to that.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Holy Spirit, lead me to be salt and life to this lost world. Thank you, Jesus, that you “sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and you will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for you,” Hebrews 9:28, NIV. Amen.
WORSHIP: