Proverbs 9

The Lord has sent out an invitation to a great banquet. Many are called, but few seem to respond, even among those who have some association with Jesus. He invites people to partake of a veritable feast of heavenly wisdom. It is the food that our souls need. Will we hear the Lord's entreaties?

There are other alternatives. If we are always filling our bellies with the buffet of choices offered by the world, we will have no appetite left for the food that Christ brings by His Holy Spirit. For instance, the world has a mountain of mocking cynicism that we can unwisely take into our hearts. If we eat that we turn into scoffers. That may win us laughs, but it deafens our ears toward the truth.

Folly is shouting out to us with her brash offers. She advertises the virtues of stolen goods rather than the fruit of honest labor. She leads people to secret places of shame and confusion. How can we find a way out? We need to hear the call of Christ, and not the voice that would make unholy pathways seem attractive and profitable.

The Word of God has bread and wine for us in the assembly of those who see His death as the way to eternal life. He invites us to love one another, not by being clever or popular, but by growing together with one another as we hear His voice. That voice leads us into holy relationships where we are willing to consider others more highly than we do ourselves. This is not the way of the world, but it is the way of the cross. It is the wisdom of God and it leads to a world of resurrection life.