21 They will have their own ruler again,
and he will come from their own people.
I will invite him to approach me,” says the Lord,
“for who would dare to come unless invited?
This is from Jeremiah 30. God has been talking about his children Israel and Judah. He has gone on about how they have rebelled and sinned against Him. He has detailed how they will be punished for this desertion. Yet, every time he expresses anger and a desire to punish, those words are followed up by words expressing a deep love and a desire for relationship restoration between His people and Himself.
Now, that was the Old Testament. Since Jesus came and served as a living sacrifice to pay for our sins, we can seek free forgiveness instead of having to go through God's wrath and punishment here on earth. Thank goodness for that! Before Jesus, it was a lot harder to gain or "earn" forgiveness. Nowadays, it's free. All we have to do is ask sincerely. That is amazing and wonderful.
What stood out to me in the above scripture was the Lord's saying that He will INVITE this new leader of His people... to approach Him. God stated that He was willing to invite this leader to come and sit with Him; to chat, to worship, to learn. "For who would dare to come unless invited?"
You don't show up at someone's party if you were not invited. That's just rude. You are setting yourself up for embarrassment, also, because you might be publicly told to leave. In the case of God, it's a matter of honor and of the FEAR of God. Not fear as in cowering from a threat or from evil... but fear as in... solemn respect. Fearing God is trusting that His way is best. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom! (Psalm 111:10) Fearing God can be... fearing to be WITHOUT God. Meditate on that. Ask God to show you what the fear of God means to you, in your own understanding.
But, back to the subject of invitation. Today? Today, we are ALL invited to approach God! In fact, the Holy Spirit lives here on earth in the middle of us all, all the time. Responding to God's invitation to approach Him requires only... speaking to Him... worshipping Him... thinking of Him. It's that simple.
Jesus broke the divide between us and the Father God. There is no more thick curtain of separation. God WANTS us to seek Him and to approach Him, all the time.
We are invited. YOU are invited. Whoever you are, just as you are, you are invited to approach God. In God's presence is the fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)
Jesus is your invitation to approach God and receive all the goodness He has to offer. Will you accept?
