For a while now I have been considering blogging. I have always felt the need to record thoughts for the purpose of my own reflection and for the encouragement of others, however, the faithful friend doubt is always there to bring many forms of discouragement, but today I am choosing to rebuke doubt and choose faith. In the daily hustle and bustle of life, many ideas, thoughts, experiences and conversations (with self & others) go through my mind and it’s about time I get it on paper (Microsoft Word) and so my goal is to share them all centered around the perspective of a Christian. Please know that I am open to discussion, questions, new topics to address and also rebuke.

Today’s discussion is!

That Stubborn Friend

            If you would ask my wife, you will quickly find out that stubborn is one of my middle names. For instance, recently I was invited to a close friend of mines bachelor’s hangout day and he wanted to go paintballing. I went on a rant about how I didn’t want to paintball until she told me it’s not about me and to just go. If that’s not a good example, here’s another one. Anytime there is an event happening and I am invited, I pick something to complain about whether it be the time, location, travel distance or the food being served and please don’t ask me for a suggestion because you’d might as well make the whole event about me, but I am definitely growing in that area.

            Jesus in Matthew 22:tells us a parable of a wedding banquet. In this parable a king sent out some servants to invite some guest (2-4) and all of these guests ultimately rejected this king’s invitation (5-7) and so the king sent invitations to some others who responded by coming and filling the wedding hall (8-10). (it’d be a beautiful story if ended here… Unfortunately, it does not).

            There’s that stubborn friend (11-12)! [See title if confused]. Anyone knows that at anything affiliated with a wedding, you cannot wear what you want if the host says lime green, you’d better have on lime green, if they say yellow and you feel as though yellow does not complement your skin tone, you’d better wear yellow. Because if you don’t it comes off as a sign of, disrespect, disregard, and stubbornness towards that friend by adhering to your very own terms and could possibly ruin a friendship. 

            So, what’s the purpose of this blog? We have all been extended an invitation by the king to heaven, however we cannot redeem our invitation if we’re like that “stubborn friend” who chose to go, yet on his own terms and in his own style of clothing. Heaven requires us to submit to the style that Christ recommend that is only found in His invitational letter to us. 

            In our world today, there are over 30 religions branched from Christianity who willfully teach many things in opposition of what’s truth and are attempting to get to heaven on their own terms or in their own clothes. These are the modern day “stubborn friends” and if not penitent will result in condemnation (13-14).