“But he said to him, ‘A man once gave a great banquet, and invited (ἐκάλεσεν) many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and lead in (εἰσάγαγε) the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in (ἀνάγκασον εἰσελθεῖν), that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited (τῶν κεκλημένων) shall taste my banquet.’” (Lk 14: 16-24)
It’s hard for me to have communion with God when I’m still playing God myself; when I fancy myself to be a “have,“ rather than a “have not,“ in His eyes. When I’m in this state of mind and heart, God can’t get a word in edgewise, because I have all this stuff figured out, like a long list of things I “must“ do for my salvation. But when I give up on my list(s), realizing that I’ve got nothing, of myself; that I bring nothing “to the table,“ then God can be God in my life, and He “leads“ me “in“ to His fellowship without any fuss at all. So let me surrender today a bit more, to God’s mercy, and come before Him with nothing. Because He isn’t asking for anything, but for me to be who I am, and let Him be Who He is, in my life. Thank You, God, for being You. Thy will be done with me today. Amen!