Matthew 22

In Mathew 22 Jesus uses a wedding banquet parable to describe the kingdom of heaven. Life on earth can be filled with business and distractions that prevent us from attending a feast with our King. God seeks us and desires to celebrate with us, but we often turn a cold shoulder because of our shortsighted focus on the present. As I reflect on my own life and the ways I prioritize my wants and needs over God’s wants and needs for my life, I have come to realize that I have a trust issue. A trust issue in that I am trying to stay on the driver’s seat doing what I feel is best. This behavior shows that I am not trusting God. If I were every day would start with Him and be the most important part of my day. When I do this life is more like a wedding feast. There is celebration, happiness and bonds of love.

Why would I not trust the person that loves me more than anyone else and whose promises are a foundation to build life on. From this passage I am again reminded that this life is temporary and not as God intended it to be. Focusing on eternity and making life’s choices with that perspective versus trying to hang on to riches, power and self-centered satisfaction results in love, tenderness and patience.

When the un-prepared improperly dressed guest is described I am horrified that if it were not for Christ’s intervention this easily could have been me. Had Christ not allowed me to make choices that ground my life to a screeching halt I would never have heard His call. But thankfully through the Holy Spirit I can each day choose to attend this banquet in Spirit looking forward to the day I get to attend such a feast with my brothers and sisters from Hutto Bible Church!

There is so much in the chapter of Matthew. But The Greatest Commandment …Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. Again turning to living life with an eternal perspective. Knowing that we can live eternally in heaven due to Jesus' sacrifice for each of us this commandment should be easy. Every heartbeat, emotion and thought should be directed out of thankfulness and love for Jesus. How short we fall from being obedient to this commandment.

Thankfully our Creator is loving and patient. He has provided a way for us to spend life in heaven with Him. If it was dependent on ourselves we would be hopeless. But we need to try and to grow. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us become more Christ like every day.

Please Father help us to live with an eternal perspective and make our lives focused on your work. Focused to reach the lost who have been invited to the Wedding Feast but are distracted and self-absorbed.

Joe LoSurdo | Elder

Joe committed his life to Christ in February of 1994 through attending Hill Country Bible ChurchNorthwest. He and his wife, Debbie, have two married children and five grandchildren. Joe has served in Student, Children’s, Small Group, Assimilation, Benevolence, and Biblical Guidance Ministries. Joe and Debbie joined Hutto Bible Church in June of 2009.