Accepting The Invitation

Recently, I was the guest speaker at a large church. Beforehand a delicious dinner was served. There was a cost to pay in order to eat. However, I was with the one who had invited me. Therefore, I did not have to pay. I was welcomed to eat to my heart’s content, free of charge. Many of you will already have guessed what I’m about to say next. It reminded me of our anticipated entrance into heaven.

Everyone is invited to live in heaven for eternity, in that place where there are no more tears or sorrow. We know that is true because we are told in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever.” However, while we’re all invited to gain entrance, we must be with the One who invited us. We must be with the One who paid the price for us. We must accept the invitation.

Obviously, I could not have eaten the church dinner if I had not first accepted the invitation to come. It’s the same in our spiritual world. God the Father tells us we are all invited. Look at John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the whole world: He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” In other words, you and I deserve death because we all sin before a Holy God. His holiness determines that He cannot look upon or receive our sin. Therefore, Jesus paid the penalty, paying for our sin with His own death on the cross. Why was that detrimental to our eternity? Because, since He is the third part of the triune God — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Jesus had the power to conquer death by rising again. You and I cannot do that no matter how good we may be. You and I could not pay the penalty. It took a sinless Jesus to take on that responsibility and He did that solely because of His love for us.

Therefore, each of us are issued an invitation. We are invited to receive the gift of eternal life, by believing Jesus died for us, and accepting His gift of eternal life. How do we do this exactly? Just tell Him. Ask Him to forgive you your sins and thank Him for paying the penalty for your sins. When you mean it earnestly, are truly sorry for your sins, and desire to live a different life, you are saved from that moment for eternity.

When that happens, you become a child of God. You then have access to all the joy and peace and direction for life that God has planned for you. You are invited to live forever with God. You have free access — all because Jesus invited you and you accepted the invitation.