"Come, for all things are now ready." is the invitation given to attend the wedding banquet in Luke 14. This also is the Father's invitation extended to each of us to share His banquet, the celebration feast of Jesus' victory over sin, sickness, and death, as all things are now ready. Jesus has accomplished the work.
However, we often are prone to act just as people did in the parable that Jesus told, "but they all alike began to make excuses." The DNA of fallen human nature is rebellion, to want to do things our own way, and to think that our business, time, and desires are more important that whatever God is calling us to do.
This invitation also applies to many issues of the heart, so we will focus on one key area, fear of the Lord. In Psalm 34, the Lord invites us to come and to let Him teach us this crucial character trait which leads to enjoying good, fullness of life, and multiple blessings. "Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?"
The Holy Spirit continues in this Psalm to instruct us "Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it." Likewise, Proverbs 8:13 declares "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." The Lord desires to give us the same heart and attitude toward sin that He has.
While our flesh responds negatively to being told what to do, the truth is that all God's commands are for our own good. Notice Deuteronomy 4:40, "You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time." God delights in His children willingly choosing to follow His ways because they are the way of life and peace.
This is especially true with knowing and doing what is good and right with God. God literally promises us many delicacies at this "fear of the Lord" banquet: (verse 7) angel of the Lord encamps around and delivers you, (verse 9) have no want, (Psalm 25:12-15) God teaches him in the way He chooses, and he shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth, (Psalm 15:14) God reveals His secrets and shows His covenant. God deliberately fills His Word with many more awesome promises of blessing for having "fear of the Lord," and invites us to choose to come to this special place with Him.
The point is that we cannot be one of those that make excuses, but rather be one of those who chooses to let Him teach us how to depart from evil and do good in all we do. Jesus says, "Be holy as I am holy." No more excuses, Come.
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