In His Name Devotionals
INVITE A FRIEND
In His Name Devotionals
INVITE A FRIEND
“Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” (Matthew 22:9 NKJV)
It is hard to understand why so many who want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, keeping His commandments, practicing all the good habits of Christian living, often fail at one of the easiest and most important duties of the Christian life.
Today, as you read these words, you are either planning to attend worship service when the saints next meet or you may have just done so. And as you sit and listen to the preacher, as you take part in the singing of the hymns and lift your heart in prayer, you have a warm feeling of happiness and peace with God and with your friends sitting beside you.
But in the midst of this sense of well-being, something pricks your conscience at frequent intervals. You remember your new neighbor, the Smith family, whom you did not bother to invite to church. Perhaps it is someone in the shop or office who might have come along if only you had called for them, but who have not heard God’s Word today because you failed to invite them.
The highways and byways of the parable recorded in Matthew 22 are the symbols of any place you might find friend or stranger. It is there you must let them see what Christ means to you and invite them to share in like manner. “It’s nice to have a friend like you
With whom my heart can share
Its little hopes and fondest dreams
Because you really care.
“It’s good to know I need but call
In case my foot should slip,
You’re like a lighthouse in the fog
That guides my little ship.
“It’s nice to have a friend like you
Within this ‘vale of tears,’
Someone who never changes,
However long the years.
“Who sees beyond the features,
And all the outward show,
And needs no words to read the thoughts
That only friends can know.
“It’s nice to have a friend like you,
Forever and a day,
Who through the good times and the bad,
Will never go away.
“No matter what the future holds,
Whatever life may send,
I’ll always know I have been blessed
Because you are my friend!”
(Grace E. Easley)
Pray that as you enjoy and observe worshipping the Lord, Almighty God will help you to dedicate yourself anew to the mighty task of bringing men and women, boys and girls, into His presence that their souls may be won for the Kingdom through the sacrifice of God’s love upon the cross on Calvary.
