Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

This magnificent invitation, right at the end of the whole Bible! God’s Spirit and God’s Church issue the invitation, but it is important to notice who is invited. It might seem to be universal, but there are two categories listed: those who are thirsty, and those who wish, or desire. Thirst to me speaks of recognition of need. Far too many people think they are OK, that they don’t need a Savior to die for them. Just yesterday I was watching a Dennis Prager “Fireside Chat” in which he praised a Taylor Swift lyric, of all things. He himself was a bit amused at that, but he wanted to give credit where credit was due. The lyric was along the lines of “You can stare at the sun but you can’t look in the mirror,” meaning that the source of your problems is you. That particular principle, that we are our own worst enemy, is one that Dennis mentions fairly often, and I agree that it is vital. There is no repentance without it! We have to recognize our need for salvation before we can be saved. The second necessary qualification is desire. Verse 15 mentions groups of people who are excluded, and the last one caught my eye: “everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” The simple fact of the matter is that there are many who love their sin too much to want to abandon it, even to receive eternal life. The average person doesn’t consider lying that big a deal, but God does, since He is absolutely true. We treat our sins lightly to our peril! It is sobering to think of how many people turn down the offer of salvation because they don’t want it; they love their sin more than what they perceive as being offered.

Of course, as a missionary pastor this is of extreme importance to me. My task isn’t to save people, because I can’t do that anyway, but to present the truths of sin and salvation in such a way that people are willing to let go of what they have to receive what is offered. Letting go is scary! Even though your current road is headed for destruction, it’s scary to get off that familiar road and go a different way. The best I can do is for my life to be a demonstration of the benefits of salvation and my words, attitude, and actions to be a demonstration of the character and love of God. People aren’t going to want to come to a God they see as holding a stick over them. I am not to excuse sin, but I am to accept people where they are and love them as they are. That can frankly be difficult, but God can do it through me. After all, He loved me when I was at my worst.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I am a part of the Bride, and the Spirit speaks through me, so the invitation should be clear and strong consistently, constantly. May this church be one that invites and welcomes people of all sorts, and may more and more people respond to that invitation, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!