"Invitation"

Got an invitation,

Right in the card I read,

Came out of an envelope,

And this is what it said,

You’re invited to a special sale,

Of cars and trucks and such,

Made it sound real personal,

I never minded much.

I got a text the other day,

About a rodeo,

It’s right close and a good one,

And for sure we plan to go.

Can you come for his birthday,

My daughter asked of me,

My little grandson, Leo,

He’s going to be three.

My sweetheart wants a pancake,

She smiled and pulled me near,

And we will go to IHOP,

I’m glad I heard it clear.

They called me on my cell phone,

I wondered how they knew,

My truck was out of warranty,

But extend it they could do.

Life is full of invites,

They come in different ways,

Some aren’t so important,

And some can be delayed.

But there’s one that is crucial,

You never want to miss,

It comes from God our Father,

And let me tell you this,

 Everyone’s invited,

To come receive His grace,

He loves without condition,

With a smile upon His face.

You don’t have to worry,

About what you have done,

Or if you aren’t religious,

Or far from Him you’ve run.

‘Cause Jesus died and rose again,

To make the invite real,

And if you will surrender,

He will save and heal.

Assured all is forgiven,

And a new life receive,

If only you will call on Him,

And His Good News believe.

Don’t miss this invitation,

It’s good while your heart beats,

But after it will be too late,

There will be no repeats.

Food here for the hungry,

God rings the dinner bell,

Inviting everybody,

The best news I can tell.

So please do not ignore it,

And don’t procrastinate,

It is the King of glory,

And you don’t want to wait.

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12, NLT)

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. According to Him, that was His mission. This means that He is in pursuit of us, offering us both abundant and eternal life. So this the reality of God’s prevenient grace. His grace precedes our response to Him- always. This is true whether we are aware of it or not. But, bottom line, it is up to us to answer His call and respond to His invitation. If we believe in Him, accept Him, and surrender our lives to Him in faith, He will do in us what we can never do for ourselves. We will be reborn, and the agent of this regeneration is the Holy Spirit Himself. If you haven’t come to Him, it’s time you did. If you came and then drifted away, it’s time to come back.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.