Invitations can add much joy...
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Invitations can add much joy to life. A certain young lady of your acquaintance is going to get married. You expect that it will be a beautiful event. Many people whom you know will be there. The reception that is to follow will be a glorious event: happy conversations, good fellowship, fabulous food. So you look expectantly for an invitation, hoping you will be on the invitation list. There was a manufacturer who had become very wealthy. One of his hobbies was horses, and he had a fine one which he frequently rode into the country. His love of horses created a strong interest in the Kentucky Derby and the many fine horses that competed there. Each year he would attend the event. But he was quite a social being who did not want to attend the Derby alone. So several of his friends would be invited to a free weekend in Louisville, at what always turned out to be a very enjoyable time. The party would stay in a first-class motel and enjoy delicious meals. They would have good seats at the Derby. Each year a number of people hoped they would be among the favored ones who would enjoy that particular weekend. John the Baptist was an inviter. He invited people to enter the kingdom of God with all its indescribable joys and benefits. But his invitation had a price tag attached to it. One could come freely, but only if he repented. But repentance is a very small price to pay to enter the Kingdom of God. His invitation has the limits of time, as well. We must repent while we are able. As someone has said, we should not wait "until the eleventh hour. We may die at 10:30." -- Lentz
