An invitation is a written or verbal request inviting someone to go somewhere or to do something. Have you ever been invited to something like a wedding or a bridal shower? Do you remember that your invitation had an RSVP date? What the invitation really meant was, your presence at the event would be appreciated, but you have to respond by the stated date. Otherwise, it is assumed you are uninterested or unavailable, and you’d not be included in the count.
Here’s another example. Manufacturers are in
business to make money, and their target market is the public. After all, if we
don’t buy their products, what will they do with them, and how would they earn
a living? It is common knowledge that competition is fierce among
manufacturers, so many of them use all kinds of advertisements to draw sales
away from their competitors.
One of the strategies they use is price reduction --commonly
known as sales -- and another one is coupons use. What’s interesting about both
strategies is that both are dated: they have expiration dates, forcing the
buyer to purchase products by the specified deadline. If products are not
purchased by the expiration dates, the discounts no longer apply and one has to
pay full price for the products in question.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve thrown
money away when I let a coupon expire, yet I misplace them all the time or
forget that I even have them. In other words, I don’t treat coupons as if they
are as valuable as I say they are. Fortunately, the products will probably
still be available, whether or not there’s a sale or coupon. I will just have
to pay a bit more.
God loves us and would like us to respond to Him.
Although we are unaware of a specific date, God’s invitation into a
relationship with Him has a time limit as well.
That date is not readily available as one might see on coupons, but I
can assure you, your invitation to come to God expires when you die, or when
Jesus returns to earth, whichever comes first. The Bible says so. God knows
when, but we don’t, and that is why each person needs to take this invitation
seriously and treat it with urgency. It is better to have the assurance now
that God has a place for you in heaven, than get to the end only to find your
name is not on the list. What a disappointment and loss that would be!
Having explained time limits, let me explain God’s
invitation again. Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, our first parents,
sin was passed on to us. That sin caused a separation between God and man. In
order to restore that relationship, Jesus died to pay the price for our sin.
God’s love through the death of His Son, Jesus, is enough to cover every single
person, but each person has to choose what they want. God will not force
salvation on anyone, neither is He going to wait forever while people toil with
the idea of loving God or something else. People have to take responsibility
for their sins and make plans for their eternal future.
Living now without faith in Jesus means living in
eternity later without God, and that means spending eternity in hell. Using the
word hell is not a scare tactic; it is the truth, and should be addressed as
such. Sugar-coating it or calling it by any other name won’t change what it is.
Jesus’ invitation to you is, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can
come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT).
How are you going to respond to this invitation?
Time is running out with every day that passes. You probably don’t have as much
time as you think. This is God’s assurance when you repent and put your faith
in Jesus, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of
God” (1 John 5:1 NLT), and “I have written this to you who believe in the name
of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13
NLT). Respond to this invitation, before it’s too late for you!
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