Weddings seem to be all around me at the moment. My eldest daughter is now engaged and planning her wedding in the next 12 months and so we are in the middle of much excitement and preparation. Weddings do take considerable planning involving many details like the choice of flowers, the selection of foods to be served and the wine or beverages offered, whether there will be a theme, how many bridesmaids and the color of their clothing and where and when to have the big day. The bride’s outfit is carefully planned down to the very last detail including the veil and whether she will wear a tiara to feel and look like a special princess when she eventually weds the man of her dreams, the one she has chosen to give her life to.

When receiving a wedding invitation I know that the first thing I do is check my calendar to ensure I am free. Weddings are such a happy time where all invited can gather to share the joy of the occasion and I certainly do not want to miss out on these celebrations.  If I have a prior engagement, I reschedule immediately to clear that spot on my calendar.  But what can be done if we receive a wedding invitation like this one?

A Wedding Invitation

HOST: God our Almighty Father (Matthew 22:2)

GROOM: Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God (Revelation 19:7, Isaiah 54:5, 2 Corinthians 11:2)

BRIDE: You who have been called, chosen and faithful (Revelation 17:14, Revelation 21:9)

WHEN: At any time on a day only known to God the Father (Matthew 24:36)

WHERE: With the returning Christ (Luke 13:29)

DRESS: Your finest garment of pure white linen (Revelation 19:8, Matthew 22:11-12)

THEME: Holy rejoicing (Psalm 144:15; Psalm 146:5; Psalm 5:11)

FOOD: A full banquet will be served (Revelation 19:9, Job 38:7)

DRINKS: The finest wine known to man (Luke 22:18)

MUSIC: Suitable for Kings, Priests, and angels alike.

GIFTS: No gifts will be needed as the Groom and Host will have already distributed some to each invited guest to be shared! (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:23; Romans 12:6; Ephesians 2:8; Ephesians 4:7, Ephesians 4:12)

RSVP: Communicate directly with your Host through daily heartfelt prayer. Your Host lovingly reminds you to be ready at any time by preparing now for this event (Matthew 24:44. Each day will require careful, diligent preparation.

Preparation for the wedding

We all want to be there. We all want to receive everlasting life. So how do we ensure not one day is wasted?  We prepare every day. We pray to God and let Him know we seek to be there at this wedding feast He has planned. We ask Him to guide us each and every day to stay in the center of the narrow path by way of the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14) and to do all things through Him and to correct us when we lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The time is at hand to be ready and alert to our own spiritual state (Revelation 1:3). Watch your thoughts, your words, and your actions in every way. Watching external events is important but watching your own spiritual state is incredibly vital in order to understand what must be done in this preparation phase.  Are we awake or asleep? Are we switched on, ready to produce the fruit of His spirit? (Galatians 5:22-23). Or are we plugged in but waiting for someone else to come along and motivate us in order to move us into action?  Or have we allowed others to diminish our motivation? Only you, the reader, know which category you fit into.

In Revelation 3:14-22, God admonishes all those who are lukewarm, who are asleep, who have drifted off into a state of dangerous reliance on self, to wake up to themselves by working to obtain white garments from Him so that we each can recognize our own poor, wretched state. Those who remain in this state will not be able to attend the wedding feast.

We know from the parable found in Luke 14:15-24 that many, many people invited to the marriage feast are noted prophetically by Christ as too busy with the cares of this world. They were clogged up with things which they perceived as exciting and important and things they really wanted to do. These people got their priorities all wrong.

The world is full of distractions and enticing things we don’t even need to look for to fill our time.  God is essentially saying to us through His Word, “Live your lives, but if you love Me, you will put aside some time for Me so that we can have a really great relationship.” He wants us there to give us His love for eternity; it comes only with effort and the sacrifice of our lives (John 14:15-21).

If you take small steps now like reading a chapter from the Book of Proverbs a day or a few passages from one of the other books of the Bible and ask God for wisdom and His will in your life and submit to His entire will with humble obedience, you are well on your way to the wedding feast. If it seems too hard, start small and ask Him to help you build up to where you truly want to be, pleasing the Eternal. Ask for more of His Spirit. In James 1:16-18 we are told that every perfect gift is from above. We just need to ask for His help and then apply the help God grants to those He has called to this marriage feast.

The enormity and greatness of God’s glory can be very hard to absorb because we only see through a glass darkly now (1 Corinthians 13:12), nevertheless, He is so powerful, so mighty, so great, so loving, so merciful, so wonderful and the gift of His spirit so capable, we must hold onto that and practice living faith.

Will we accept our invitation to attend the greatest wedding feast of all time?  Make no mistake.  That day will come and all those who are living examples of His way of life will be there. Don’t be like the man who was found at the wedding feast without a wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-14).  Show God your love for Him each and every day. Earnestly seek to please Him. We are His beloved children (1 John 3:2) therefore we should imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). The choice is yours. Choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). Be a part of the most amazing wedding that has ever been or ever will be.

To understand how to receive an invitation to this great event, read the free Bible study aids Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion and The Road to Eternal Life.