As I started to think through the "What If?" questions I asked last time, God drew my attention to Luke 14: 15-24. The Parable of the Banquet. Have a read before you read the rest of this blog it may help you to see where I am coming from.
I am coming to see that it is not so much what we do that interests "the Father", but who we are. I must admit that as a parent I can see that, because my geneartional legacy lies in who my children are, not what they do. From things that I've read and experienced it is things about you that are just like your mother/father/grandmother/grandfather that people remember. The good, the bad and the downright ugly character traits passed through generations. Our heavenly Father really wants us to share who we are with Him. Who knows...we may learn and change a little on the way.
I have heard that love is spelt TIME and that is what the Father wants. He wants our time to be given to him and to share ourselves. Most of us think that "the Father" wants our time in service, not just spending time with him. I am not sure this is the total picture, a partial picture maybe.
In the parable of the Banquet we see that everybody was too busy attend the feast given by the King. They all had what they saw as legitimate things things to do rather than spend time at the "Kings Banquet". What if we are like that, too busy serving the King to actually spend time with the King? It would seem to defeat the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross to gain access for us to the the throne room of heaven in the first place!
When we read the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, we see that the son decides that he is going to come back to his Father as a servant. But the Father has other ideas and throws a banquet for his son. The parable leaves the ending open...we don't know what happens. But it would seem to me that many Christians today have reverted to Plan A, which is being a servant rather than joining in the festivities of the banquet for whatever reason of their own....fear, self condemnation, guilt or just plain laziness!
I have tried having more personal conversations with my Father in heaven and I am pleased and if not a little surprised to say I have even got some fairly instant responses. I might have a gold thread here...I am going to follow it for a while. I am going to stop fighting the Father and spend time with Him.
I am away for a few weeks and may not get near a computer till the end of January. Hopefully I will have some more thoughts.
Cheers Paul
