Please Come…

Spring is in bud and summer will soon be in full bloom. The season bears invitations to graduation parties, barbecues, pool parties and of course, weddings. On the invitation, you will be asked to “RSVP.” 

RSVP is an acronym for the French phrase, répondez s’il vous plait, which means “respond if you please.” When RSVP is on an invitation, we are to reply whether we accept or decline.

We may decline an invitation because we have a previous engagement. We may neglect to respond to an invitation because we forget or misplace it. Or we may refuse because we’re too busy.


Have you ever declined an invitation only to find out later how much fun you missed? 
 

Sometimes I wish I could be in two places at once. I had to decline an invitation to a party for a friend because of another commitment. I regretted as I looked at the pictures posted on social media.

 

Last week a friend invited me to the beach. I could have found numerous excuses to decline, but I decided to let everything wait and accepted her invitation. Clear skies and warm, aqua blue water greeted us. We laughed for over an hour as we jumped waves in the big rolling surf. I was glad I didn’t miss the fun and refreshment.

Like me, I’m sure you’ve responded to countless invitations. But there is one occasion we don’t want to miss. In the Bible, we are given the most special invitation:

·      Call to me and I will answer you… Jeremiah 33:3
·      Come to me all you who are weary… Matthew 11:28
·      Come boldly to the throne of grace…Hebrews 4:16

 

Jesus invites us to come to Him in prayer. 

Just think: God wants to spend time with us. We have a privileged, personal invitation from a Holy God, who is called Abba, an Aramaic word which means “Daddy.” It’s as though we get to crawl up into His lap and talk to Him.

 

After a powerful church service nowadays, people remark, “God showed up.” God did not show up. God was already there. We show up in response to His invitation.(click to tweet) He waits for us to RSVP, to come and receive the blessings He offers. He is the one who brings the gifts…

·      forgiveness (Psalm 32:5)
·      guidance (Proverbs 3:5-6)
·      strength (Isaiah 41:10)
·      resistance to temptations (Matthew 26:41)
·      salvation (Romans 10:9-10)
·      comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3)
·      peace (Philippians 4:6-7)
·      wisdom (James 1:5)
·      healing (1 Peter 2:24)
·      love (1 John 4:7-8)

 

Which one of these do you need most today?

What a banquet He provides! He welcomes us with unmatched hospitality. 

In the culture of Jesus’ day, hospitality was extravagant. Visitors were welcomed with a kiss, had their head anointed with oil, their feet washed, and were given food and drink in plentiful supply. This demonstrates how God receives us. He lavishes His grace on us (Ephesians 1:7-8) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10). Likely this is what David meant when he stated, “My cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5). 

 

And His invitation is without cost. He already paid the price at the cross. All He asks is for us to RSVP.  

How amazing that the One who is the source of all things invites us to, “Come…”
(click to tweet)

 

“Oh the peace we often forfeit, Oh the needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
(Joseph M. Scriven, What A Friend We Have in Jesus, 1855) 

How about you? What invitations have you missed?
How will you RSVP to God’s invitation?
What might you miss if you pass up, forfeit or decline His invitation?

So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:10-11 MSG
 
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I am writing a six-week Bible study called Pursuing God in P.R.A.Y.E.R. – Six Steps to Prevailing Prayer. I would love to share the first week with you free and keep you posted of publication. Please sign up to follow this blog and send me an email at lifecoachpenny@yahoo.com and mention the code FREE1st.