“When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing 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.’”

We have a lot of squirrels running around our neighborhood, darting across our street, and generally seeming to have a lot of fun while they play. However, the day is not full of only play for a squirrel, they also must find food. And as winter approaches, they not only have to find food, but they need to store up food for the days they cannot find any, because the snow has come.

What if a squirrel said to her father, “I am too busy playing with my friends, traveling around town and seeing too many interesting things to be bothered by finding food for winter.” How would her father likely react?

Jesus here is trying to get across a point: We can all come up with one excuse or another to not spend time with God (i.e. reading the Bible, in prayer, fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters, and serving God by doing the things he prepares in advance for us to do). The problem is we need to be nourished spiritually. We were discussing during Bible study last night how easy it is to come up with an excuse to stay home. But when we come … we are enriched by God’s Spirit and the thoughts of the others in the room in such a great way, that afterwards, those excuses seem silly. Of course there are alway legitimate reasons at times to stay home but the point is, we must prioritize our time with God and our spiritual “fill-up stations” throughout the week.

In this story, a great feast was prepared. All of the important people in town were invited, but they all declined. Why? They were too busy. The King probably prepared for months for this feast; it sounded like a colossal event!

Imagine with me the time and energy exerted to prepare the good gifts and experiences God has for us. When we decline him out of our busyness (or maybe fear), it makes him sad. And we lose out.

How can I prioritize God higher and better this week?

Lord, I eagerly await my time with you, feasting at your table. You are the giver of INCREDIBLY AWESOME and GOOD GIFTS! Thank you for all that you have planned for my benefit. I want to grow stronger and closer in my relationship with you, and I know this will require sacrifice. Help me to prioritize you and your ways today!