Recently, I received an invitation in the mail. They are always fun to open. I enjoy being invited to parties, fundraisers, weddings, and just about any event where I get to eat and be merry.

As exciting as this may be, the Lord has extended invitations that are far better. He is waiting for our response, and we would be wise to accept with a resounding “Yes, Lord!”

The first invitation is to rest from labor. Yes, Lord Jesus! I am weary and tired. I need a rest from work, worry, strife, and the many problems I face in this life.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

~Matthew 11:28-30 TMB

The second invitation is to become one of Jesus’ disciples. Yes, Lord! I want to be your disciple. Who could be better to follow than Jesus Christ? He saved His people so that we could save others. Now, He invites us to become partners with Him in His mission to serve His heavenly Father. How wonderful He is to offer each of us the job title of “Disciple of the Most High God” and to call us to bring the message of salvation to the lost:

Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age.

~Matthew 28:19-20 TMB

The third and greatest invitation is to become Jesus’ bride and to live with Him for eternity. Yes, Lord! I want to be evenly yoked with You and live with You for all eternity in Your heavenly palace:

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give Him honor and glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

~Revelation 19:7 NKJV

Although we should eagerly accept the invitations Jesus extends to us, there is one that we should answer with a resolute “No!” That invitation comes from the devil, who wants us to follow him instead of Jesus Christ. Satan will use all kinds of lies and deceptions to try to convince us his invitation is more promising than our Lord’s. He will tell us he is going to throw us a party filled with worldly pleasures. Yet we must remember that his invitation comes at the cost of forsaking the heavenly things God has set before us that we cannot see, but we eagerly await for in hope.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

~2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV

Friend, let us rejoice in the invitations our Lord has given us. Unlike Satan’s invitation, Jesus’ comes with promises that are true and pure. We will get to celebrate together at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb for all eternity. Now that will be a real party, and our thank you note should go out every day in the form of clasped hands and praying hearts.!

Share an invitation that was special to you.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your invitations: rest, the joy of being Your disciple, and my position as Your bride. Thank You for securing a home in Heaven for me where I will spend eternity. I say no to Satan’s invitation and yes to Your invitations. Amen

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2019: The Greatest Invitation: Lee Ann Mancini: All Rights Reserved