| Home Columns Growing Up | Email | Print |
|
One day, as I was leaving a bookstore, I overheard two women talking. One held the door open for the other and smiled before saying to her friend, “You’re being treated like royalty today!” I smiled as I walked by; but then I thought of the true value of her words.
The Guest List
by Alexis Goring
I was so looking forward to this birthday dinner that I began planning for it an entire month before the scheduled date. Bubbling over with anticipation, I sent out invitations to friends and family and asked for the invitees to respond soon so that I could finalize the reservations. With great care, I composed the guest list, being sure to invite both old and new friends with whom I’d shared life experiences. I visited the restaurant weeks in advance to see the room I reserved before I finalized everything. As I write this devotion, I am still anticipating the great event, which to me will be more than a dinner. It will be a reunion.
In the midst of my anticipation and planning, a thought entered my mind. How much does God anticipate our homecoming in heaven? How much is He looking forward to the reunion of Adam and Eve with their offspring of every tribe and nation? How much does He want everyone on His guest list to be there with Him in heaven?
“Very much!” is the resounding answer. God extended an open invitation to all humankind when He sent His only Son to this earth to deliver us from Satan.
Christ defeated Satan when He died on the cross and arose from the grave three days later. Now God desires us to carry His gospel truth to the entire world. He wants everyone to know about Him and to receive His invitation of eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NRSV).
While God extends His invitation of eternal life to every single person on planet earth, this invitation will not last forever. Once Jesus Christ steps out of the heavenly sanctuary to return to earth to bring His faithful followers home, it truly will be finished.
While this information may be frightening, Ellen White reassures us with these words, “As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment and with confidence in Christ as Leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”*
One of my favorite Bible passages is Romans 8:18–39, as translated in The Message Bible. It speaks of how our present problems cannot be compared to the glorious future God promises to those who fight the good fight of faith and finish the race.
God wants us all to be saved! But it does take faith, along with perseverance and the perfecting of a Christlike character. So think of “character-building” events as God preparing us for eternity. Remember, we cannot take anything with us into heaven but our characters.
On a final note, I’d like to share a real-life anecdote.
One day, as I was leaving a bookstore, I overheard two women talking. One held the door open for the other and smiled before saying to her friend, “You’re being treated like royalty today!” I smiled as I walked by; but then I thought of the true value of her words. You see, we are joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). We are children of the eternal King! So let’s review the key points:
- You have received an invitation to eternal life from the Creator of the universe.
- He loves you with His very life, and is anticipating the reunion of His sons and daughters as they begin to experience life as it was truly meant to be.
- He has promised to be with us always.
Now, what reason could you possibly have for not accepting this invitation?
My advice to inquiring minds is simple. . .
You are on Christ’s guest list. Finalize now your reservation to the grandest of all occasions. Accept today, and receive the gift of salvation.
____________
*Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 162.