Daily Devotional January 2 - It's Best To Buy It Today

"Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.  And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.  So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.  And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.  And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper."  Luke 14: 16-24

It really amazes me that the 'called' refuse to come.  Most of the 'called,' that don't come, aren't people living in the mountains of an undeveloped and uncivilized nation.  They are our children and our friends;  the privileged and those who have much; those who are educated and those who have been in church as a child.  The people that are turning the Lord's invitation down have found other things to tickle their minds and their interest. 
 
In these verses, the first excuse was, they had just bought some property.  The next one couldn't come due to having just purchased some oxen.  Another had just gotten married. 
Today's excuses might be: 
I'm too busy. 
I just got a new video game, I will need to stay up for hours, strapped to my lap top, forgetting everyone and every responsibility around me.
I know a lot of people that don't go to church and they are OK.
I'm not convinced that there is any god, after all what kind of god would let people die?
 
Of course today there is another group.  The "I will say I will come to dinner, but they don't show up" group.  What's the difference between those who make excuses and don't come or those who say they will come and don't?  Either way, the point is, the Lord has invited you to come and spend some time with Him, personally.  This invitation is not to come into heaven as so many think.  This invitation is to come and experience a life/lifestyle that includes the Lord in it.  The "great supper" is your daily life, short term and long term.  Jesus invites you to come and sup with Him, learn of Him, enjoy Him.  
 
I know that many people think that at the end of life would be a good time to make arrangements with the Lord to come to dinner, but the real disappointment is going to be, if you don't like the presence of the Lord while on earth, what makes you think you will like it after you die?  Jesus call us early so that we will have all the components necessary for a fulfilled life, now, today.  Heaven is an extension of our relationship with God while on earth.  Do you really want to take the chance that the same opportunity will be available tomorrow?  What happens when you want something real bad that is on sale and you don't buy it when you see it?