“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.” Matthew 22:2-5

• Are you too busy for church…for God…for eternity? Are earthly things more important than what is spiritual and heavenly? Do you have the desire to spend more time with God, but family, work, friends, and everything else seem to get in the way?

• The Bible tells us that God and heavenly things are even more important than the earthly things we spend so much time every day doing! We often take the heavenly things and make light of them, instead of understanding their importance.

• Jesus reminds us that the things of God are beyond measure. They are like the party of a lifetime, that you don’t want to miss.

• Every day we analyze what is important and what is less important, adjusting our schedules accordingly. We prioritize and make time for the things we value.

• However, the Bible lets us know that there are things that will last for eternity and there are things that are here today and gone tomorrow. The problem is that we often spend most of our time on the things that don’t last.

• Take some time to reprioritize your life and ask yourself what are the things that will last for time and eternity? Make sure you spend more time with God; in church, in prayer, in Bible reading and study, and in fellowship with Christian believers.

• Are there things in your life that are impossible and would never happen to you? Add whatever it is in the blank; “______ will never happen to me!”
• Moses was in a desert with no water and millions of thirsty people. It was impossible for him to quench the thirst of so many people without any means. Providing water was impossible.
• Where did Moses turn? He was forced by circumstances to rely on someone greater than himself to provide the impossible. In fact, that is just what God did; He provided water from a rock! Last time I checked, water from a rock was impossible!
• Most of us first turn to ourselves in order to make the impossible happen. Moses reminds us that we should first turn to the Lord.
• Moses prayed to God for an answer to his impossible predicament. Have you turned to the Lord in prayer and asked for Him to do the impossible?

Jesus prayed to the Father, “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.” John 17:5

• Have you surrendered to God and His plan for your life?

• One of the biggest struggles that I have is surrendering to God’s will. Many times I already have my own plans made up in my mind before I ever go to God in prayer and ask for His directing. Instead I make my own plans and ask God to bless what I want. But what does God want from my life? What work does God want me to accomplish on this earth?

• Jesus surrendered to the Father’s will. It wasn’t an easy surrender, because the Father’s will would eventually lead Jesus to the Cross and suffering. It’s easy to surrender to God’s will when He leads us up the mountain and we have an awesome divine experience. But what about when He leads us down in to the valley of suffering? Are we still willing to surrender to God’s will?

• Take some time and pray to God for the strength to surrender to His directing and guidance in your life. Ask Him to show you the work He wants you to accomplish.

• What do you do when God doesn’t fit into your plans? What if He doesn’t do what you want Him to do? Does it cause you to seek Him more or does it cause you to abandon Him altogether?

• We all want the easy road! We all want the path that leads to fame, power, and riches. No one wants to take the path less traveled. No one wants the path of the Cross.

• The path of the Cross is shame, weakness, self-sacrifice, and suffering. When God doesn’t do what we want Him to do, it’s usually because He is showing us the path to the Cross.

• Jesus took up the Cross of suffering and in one display of self-sacrifice, He illustrated the most beautiful love the world has ever known. His Cross has brought the glory of heaven to earth. If you blink you might miss the significance of the Cross.

• Great! The Cross of Christ and His suffering must mean an easy life for me then. Doesn’t God want to give me everything I ever wanted and make my life easy?

• Not so fast! Jesus tells us to take up our crosses and follow Him. This is not the path of fame, power, and riches, but in the path of suffering and self-sacrifice.

• The Cross means I must forgive when I want revenge. It means I must serve when I want to be served. It means I must give when I want to take. It means I will find suffering when I follow Christ. This Cross doesn’t always fit into my plans and this Cross is not the glamorous life, but it is the God outside of the box!

Tags: Solitude, Pastor Joel Cundiff