Don’t Throw Away Your Inheritance to Fulfill a Temporary Craving

In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells the Parable of the Great Feast.

It starts out like this (verses 16-20):

“A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ ”

We are all honored and excited to receive an invitation from God. Being invited by God to attend His banquet makes us feel priviledged and like we are somebody special.

But when the day comes for us to honor our commitment and respond to Him, we make up the worst excuses.

The land will always be there; it’s not going anywhere. We get excited about new toys and want to play with them even though we can do that anytime. We marry someone who doesn’t appreciate God, doesn’t know Him, or hasn’t received His invitation to come and then we choose them over him. We choose idolatry instead of God.

But God will have a full house in His Kingdom. God will fill up heaven. He will keep inviting people until His house is full.

And those who make excuses that aren’t worthy of Him will never taste heaven - not even a single drop.

The story ends in verses 21-24:

“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’ ”

Don’t be like Esau, who threw away his birthright for a bowl of soup.

Hebrews 12:16-17 says:

Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

You have a great inheritance. Don’t forfeit it to fulfill a temporary craving.