Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Some Gadites joined David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains: Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh. These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army. He who was least was equal to one hundred, and the greatest to one thousand. These are those who went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all who lived in the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west. Some of the children of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. David went out to meet them, and answered them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers see this and rebuke it.” Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, David, and on your side, you son of Jesse. Peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers; for your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them captains of the band.”
(1 Chronicles 12:8-18)

“He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.” When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom!” But he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’ They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’ “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’ “Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’ “That servant came, and told 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 the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’ “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’ “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
(Luke 14:12-24)

David didn’t play favourites. David accepted the people who came to him. Whether they were Israelites, Judeans, or something different. He cared more for what was in their hearts than their ethnicity or nationality. His invitation to join him was wide open. David didn’t accept them with lip service alone. He valued them. He put them into positions of authority. He accepted them as the same as he was. They were included because they chose to be included.

Jesus has invited us all to His Kingdom. He listens to us, but He doesn’t listen to our excuses. He loves us, but he doesn’t love when we get busy being self-sufficient or try to fulfill our life’s programs our way. God’s offer of salvation, of adoption into His family is open to all people. But frequently it is heard – and followed best – by those who realize how needy they are. Those people tend to be more grateful and more likely to continue to submit to God, even when things go well. It isn’t about what we do well. It’s about always remembering what Jesus did for us. That’s how we get the right perspective and maintain our proper place at His feast.

Summary

Jesus told us to have communion in remembrance of Him. To REMEMBER what He did for us. And what it means for us. If we always remember what we were saved from, we’re more likely to remember our place isn’t EARNED but GIFTED. When we go our own way, we lose. We lose opportunity. We set ourselves off the path He placed before us. We miss out. When we remember Jesus and keep the Word before our eyes, we have an easier time staying on the path. We have an easier time refusing to not trust Jesus. If we stand on the Word, we will always be in the place of advantage: with God. Aligning ourselves to His will with our whole hearts doesn’t diminish us. It lets Jesus live THROUGH us.