Why are we so afraid?

He told me to tell you that

The Blonde and I are planning a “Taco Tuesday” kind of dinner party.

We have people from church we want to invite, people we really love but then God is pressing on our heart to invite some people from church that we really don’t like.

Ugh!

I taught on Luke 14 this past Sunday. Jesus tells us when we have dinner parties to not invite our friends only but rather invite people that can’t do anything for us and if we do this we will be blessed.

Later in the same passage He told us to find people from the highways and hedges, the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame, find these people and invite them.

In Matthew 7:14 Jesus said his way is hard. He was not kidding and I’m struggling.

I’m a pastor, I’m ordained, I’m holy therefore I must be perfect but can we talk?

I’m not perfect, not even close and I know you know that but what I’m saying is I want to be selfish.

The heart wants what the heart wants and if I’m going make tacos and share my table I want them to be people I care about and people I want to spend time with.

We were having coffee in Longview, Texas, the other day and a homeless man came in.

He was a typical homeless guy, he was dirty, spastic, mumbled when he wasn’t stuttering and constantly wiping his mouth and face with a napkin.

From what I could tell there was trouble with how he was going to pay, he had a piece of plastic that was not working, finally the barista gave him a hot cup of coffee in a mug (high five to her)!

As I watched this story unfold in real time people were aware of what was going on and they were keeping their distance and I get that but I also know what Jesus would do.

Why is it so hard? Why are we so afraid?

God says we don’t have the “spirit of fear” but a spirit of love and power (2nd Timothy 1:7).

I don’t see a lot of that going around, what’s up with that?

It’s hard but we are empowered by God to do the hard things.

We all know Philippians 4:13 reminds us we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Just across the page in chapter 2 verse 13 we read God is the one working in us and through us to do His will and to work for His good pleasure.

It’s not about us is it? We think God blesses us to make our day better and maybe He does sometimes but at the end of the day it’s about His glory - God likes His glory (Isaiah 48:9-11).

What’s the moral of the story?

Next time you throw a dinner party glorify God with your guest list.

Bring Him honor as you invite those He wants to be at the table. You can do it.

He told me to tell you that.

“Many plans are in a person’s mind, but the Lord’s purpose will succeed,.” (Proverbs 12:21)