VIP
I still remember when my mother had a stroke for the first time, in a panic state I prayed for her to be spared and to be given a chance to live. And my prayer was answered, my mother was quickly conscious without any significant injury. But one and a half years later, she was called home by the Heavenly Father. My mother then had another stroke and a heart attack. At that time, I wasn't praying anymore for her to be spared, but I only prayed that she would received what's best for her from the Father.
Perhaps in my first prayer, when I asked for my mother to be given a chance to live, that became her reason that made her to be unable to attend the wedding feast in the Kingdom of Heaven, then. Just like the parable of the marriage feast in Matthew 22:1-14 (also in Luke 14:15-24). And that could also be her reason that she still wanted to be here with her family. It doesn't mean that we don't want to go, but whether we feel that we are ready to go. Will we ever feel that we are ready? As the apostle Paul said, "to die is gain", it is a statement that shows he was ready to attend the heavenly wedding feast. And I'm convinced that whatever things he had faced in his life, those became the foundations of his particular statement. And this could also become the same with our lives.
In the same parable, with ease the Lord had invited people randomly from the highways, to come to the feast. When one was found to be without a wedding garment, the same person then was thrown out from the feast. There is one interesting thing that we need to pay attention here, and that is the wedding garment. When the Lord invited these "random people", it wasn't said that these people need to wear the garments and to think that these poor, and maimed
people who came to the wedding feast had to come in wedding garments?!
Who then was reprimanded by the King, because he didn't wear his wedding garment? And why this King had a need to ask about it? Have we ever thought that the King asked about it, because indeed this person was needed to wear it. In other words, this person was actually worthy to be invited, with a so-called VIP invitation, and he might not be from the same company as those who were found from the highways. In requiring the absence of the garment, it has the meaning that the King was still cared about the worthiness of His guests. He is indeed gracious, but it doesn't mean that He's cheap.
In Luke 14:24, it is said that no one who had rejected the invitation would taste the wedding feast. In this parable, God was illustrated as One who was in great wrath. But let us remember what had happened in Nineveh, when its people quickly fasted and repented, which resulted in God's anger was being pacified. The reason being that Nineveh had its people who were dumb, they could not even differentiate between the right hands from the left. Are we not also people who are dumb, we who sometimes could exchange the Kingdom of God with our own selfish desires?
Though sometimes we are like foolish people, but we don't resist God forever. We do feel regret and we also feel guilty when we did something wrong against the Lord. We want to get back to His ways. The Kingdom of God is not merely about the preparation to leave this world. But it is also about our worthiness and desire for our Lord, which are portrayed in us wearing the wedding garment.
And when I was praying for my mother to be given what was best from the Father, it was like that I had fastened a rose pin onto her garment. Because I was eager to usher my mother for her "coming home", since there would be so many good and wonderful things awaited for her over there.
The apostle Paul had said, that if he was still on earth, he was eager to work for the Lord. By that, he was like adorning his wedding garment. How about the preparation of our wedding garments, for us who hold the "VIP invitations" from the Heavenly Father? Or are we still busy with our own businesses and affairs? It says in II Timothy 2:12-13, that if we deny the Lord, then He will also deny us. If we are not faithful to Him, the Lord remains faithful, because He cannot deny Himself, Him who is full of grace.
VIP
I still remember when my mother had a stroke for the first time, in a panic state I prayed for her to be spared and to be given a chance to live. And my prayer was answered, my mother was quickly conscious without any significant injury. But one and a half years later, she was called home by the Heavenly Father. My mother then had another stroke and a heart attack. At that time, I wasn't praying anymore for her to be spared, but I only prayed that she would received what's best for her from the Father.
Perhaps in my first prayer, when I asked for my mother to be given a chance to live, that became her reason that made her to be unable to attend the wedding feast in the Kingdom of Heaven, then. Just like the parable of the marriage feast in Matthew 22:1-14 (also in Luke 14:15-24). And that could also be her reason that she still wanted to be here with her family. It doesn't mean that we don't want to go, but whether we feel that we are ready to go. Will we ever feel that we are ready? As the apostle Paul said, "to die is gain", it is a statement that shows he was ready to attend the heavenly wedding feast. And I'm convinced that whatever things he had faced in his life, those became the foundations of his particular statement. And this could also become the same with our lives.
In the same parable, with ease the Lord had invited people randomly from the highways, to come to the feast. When one was found to be without a wedding garment, the same person then was thrown out from the feast. There is one interesting thing that we need to pay attention here, and that is the wedding garment. When the Lord invited these "random people", it wasn't said that these people need to wear the garments and to think that these poor, and maimed
people who came to the wedding feast had to come in wedding garments?!
Who then was reprimanded by the King, because he didn't wear his wedding garment? And why this King had a need to ask about it? Have we ever thought that the King asked about it, because indeed this person was needed to wear it. In other words, this person was actually worthy to be invited, with a so-called VIP invitation, and he might not be from the same company as those who were found from the highways. In requiring the absence of the garment, it has the meaning that the King was still cared about the worthiness of His guests. He is indeed gracious, but it doesn't mean that He's cheap.
In Luke 14:24, it is said that no one who had rejected the invitation would taste the wedding feast. In this parable, God was illustrated as One who was in great wrath. But let us remember what had happened in Nineveh, when its people quickly fasted and repented, which resulted in God's anger was being pacified. The reason being that Nineveh had its people who were dumb, they could not even differentiate between the right hands from the left. Are we not also people who are dumb, we who sometimes could exchange the Kingdom of God with our own selfish desires?
Though sometimes we are like foolish people, but we don't resist God forever. We do feel regret and we also feel guilty when we did something wrong against the Lord. We want to get back to His ways. The Kingdom of God is not merely about the preparation to leave this world. But it is also about our worthiness and desire for our Lord, which are portrayed in us wearing the wedding garment.
And when I was praying for my mother to be given what was best from the Father, it was like that I had fastened a rose pin onto her garment. Because I was eager to usher my mother for her "coming home", since there would be so many good and wonderful things awaited for her over there.
The apostle Paul had said, that if he was still on earth, he was eager to work for the Lord. By that, he was like adorning his wedding garment. How about the preparation of our wedding garments, for us who hold the "VIP invitations" from the Heavenly Father? Or are we still busy with our own businesses and affairs? It says in II Timothy 2:12-13, that if we deny the Lord, then He will also deny us. If we are not faithful to Him, the Lord remains faithful, because He cannot deny Himself, Him who is full of grace.
