My wife Kathy and I frequently travel to the coast of Oregon to visit her family. Unlike Tucson,
where we have sunshine from morning till dusk, I noticed that in the Northwest, mornings are
usually foggy. But I’ve also noticed that as the morning progresses, the sun starts to shine
through the fog. Eventually, the fog disappears, and a gray morning has turned to a sunny day.
It’s always amazing to see this transformation, and every time, it makes me think of James
4:14b:

“Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”
When we think about how short life is, we have to consider what God wants us to do with the
time we have before we enter His kingdom.

In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells the Parable of the Great Feast, where a man invites his friends
and then several others to a banquet he has prepared. In the story, Jesus is telling us to invite
others to join the “banquet” of the Kingdom of God with two key actions:

1. Go Quickly – At Alive Church, we always say that everyone spends eternity
somewhere. Just as the servant in the parable was told to “go quickly,” so must we
before it’s too late (see Luke 14:21).

2. Urge Anyone – The servant in the parable of the great feast was told to reach out to the
“the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame” (Luke 14:21) and even “anyone you find”
(Luke 14:23). In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites “all” to come to Him. God’s kingdom is
made for everyone, even if we think they don’t need or want to be a part of it.

Do you know someone who could be waiting for your invitation to know Jesus?
If so, I encourage you to invite them to our At the Movies series kickoff this weekend at Alive
Church, where we’ll delve into Christ-centered messages in blockbuster movies. Plus, all first-
time guests receive a free ticket to a local movie theater!

I hope to see you and your guests at Alive Church to join us.

In Christ,

Jeff