"I
heard a voice thunder from the Throne: 'Look! Look! God has moved into the
neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their
God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good-tears gone,
crying gone, pain gone-all the first order of things gone.'" Revelation 21:3-4
(MSG)
"I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the
birds flying overhead, 'Come! Gather for the great banquet of God.'" Revelation
19:17 (GW)
The purpose of our Heavenly Father is to gather His children together in a place
where death, tears and illness will be but a memory of the past. He will invite
us all to a huge banquet where we will have the best meal ever, thanks to our
Father. It will be a banquet unlike any other!
After all, don't we, as parents, do the same? When my youngest son comes to
visit us from the other side of the country, we, too, celebrate his arrival. We
rejoice in his presence with us! This is something to really look forward to!
When Jesus was born, no one gave him a banquet. In fact, He didn't even have a
comfy room. His playmates were cattle, horses and other animals, and maybe even
a mouse or two. In fact, had it not been for the angels who came to announce His
birth to simple shepherds, there would have been no one visiting Him at all!
Last summer, we had the privilege of visiting
Kortrijk, a lovely town in Belgium renown for hosting the "Battle of the Spurs"
in 1302. In this famous battle, the simple Flemish farmers defeated the wealthy
French soldiers. The battle received its name due to the fact that only the
wealthy French could afford spurs, and when the dust had all settled, the
Flemish took the spurs from their enemies in order to demonstrate that they had
won the war. It was a fascinated story, and
we decided to visit the Museum of Kortrijk 1302 to learn more about the event.
When we entered the museum, we were welcomed with open arms. We didn't even have
to pay the regular entrance fee, for it was, by chance, a "free admission" day.
How could we have known? We were then met by the "welcoming committee", two very
nice museum employees who encouraged us to hang our coats in the cloak room.
"You will be way more comfortable that way," they said.
I brought up that we could easily forget our coats there.
"Don't worry. We will remind you," they assured us, and they did just that.
When we will head for heaven, our welcome will be thousands of time better than
what humans can offer on this earth. We have a rendezvous with our Heavenly
Father who has prepared a excellent banquet for us. We are that important to
Him!
Shouldn't we offer the same to our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus, and to the
Holy Spirit when we will eat our Christmas meal? After all, God is nuts about
us! His love is subliminal! Let us invite Him at our table!
"Dad, you are always welcome in my house. My house is your house. "
Will we invite Him with open arms as well?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.