Oh so many lessons to learn in one parable

Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
proverbs 25.6-7

"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
luke 14.8-11

i read the proverbs often, and some how these few verses slipped past me. i've heard this parable spoken by Jesus many times, and yet i didn't realize He was expounding on the wise words of solomon. Jesus simply added some 'life application' to the story which solomon spoke nearly 2000 years earlier. i love it when the old and new testaments connect. that fires me up!

there's something amazing in the words which the king and the wedding host say, "come up here," and "friend, move up to a better place." i've been rolling those phrases around my mind for about 2 hours now, since my lunch break. to hear a king say to me, 'come up here'... has to be such a great honor. but before this person hears those words, he needed to take a back seat. he had to decide to be humble - to give up what would would have been a good seat.

a friend and i have a phrase for the seats near the rear of an airplane... we call them 'dumpster' class, as opposed to first class. as someone who worked for an airline, i flew in dumpster class often. but then there were times... oh the good times, when i would be sitting in dumpster, and the flight attendant would come to me and say, 'your seat assignment has changed.' and that is the key to move to first class... to the good seats! oh what joy to sit in first class as opposed to those cramped seats. and the warm towelettes... and the food and drinks for free! it's a real treat!

there's something amazing when someone invites you to come... like when Jesus says, 'come to me, all of you who are struggling right now, and i will give you rest.' (loose translation of matt. 11.28) there's power in an invitation. and there is power in being willing to give up what may be entitled to us - in being humble enough to hold open a door for someone - in giving up our hard earned money for someone in need - in opening our homes to a homeless person - in losing sleep to pray for someone.

King of kings...
it is by Your great invitation to join You on this journey called life. thanks for calling out to me when i needed You most. Your timing is excellent. thanks for giving us this example to be humble and how to give of ourselves. Your life is an example of humility; let me follow hard after You. guide me in ways which i can be willing to give up for Your sake. let Your light shine thru me. be glorified thru my actions and thru times of seeking Your wisdom and truth.
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen
*valerie *valerie *Allison