Daily Archives: July 1, 2026

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

01 Wednesday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 78, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 78:50-55 (NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
I am thankful your Spirit sought me out
and drew me to the cross of Jesus.
I bow before you in praise and gratitude.
I pray you will show the same mercy to many others.
Give me a heart of compassion
for those who have not experienced your saving grace.
Amen.

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet
to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Then he sent some more servants and said,
‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner:
My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered,
and everything is ready.
Come to the wedding banquet.’

“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field,
another to his business.
The rest seized his servants,
mistreated them and killed them.
The king was enraged.
He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants,
‘The wedding banquet is ready,
but those I invited did not deserve to come.
So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find,
the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests,
he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’
The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants,
‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 22:1-14).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian followers!

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

God’s Mysterious Choice   

01 Wednesday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 78, Psalms

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Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Reading: Psalm 78:50-55 (NIV)*

He prepared a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death
    but gave them over to the plague.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
    the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
But he brought his people out like a flock;
    he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
    but the sea engulfed their enemies.
And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
    to the hill country his right hand had taken.
He drove out nations before them
    and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
    he settled the tribes of Israel in their home.

Reflection

Understanding God’s choice is not a simple matter. Today’s reading from Psalm 78 draws our attention to the choices God makes. Why did God choose the people of Israel? Why did He decide to get behind this rebellious people? Why did the LORD throw His active support behind a slave revolt? Why did He show mercy to Israel, but pour out His wrath on Egypt?

Of course, we can ask the same questions on a personal level. Why did God choose to save me from my personal pile of sin and destructive habits? Why did He show me the incredible love of Jesus through his death on the cross? Why did the message of the gospel touch me so deeply and transform me so radically, while it bounced off others around me like a babble of meaningless words?

We may never know the answers to these questions. What I do know is God did not choose the best and the greatest when He chose Israel. Furthermore, at this present time, God overlooked the best and the greatest and instead He chose you and me. St. Paul writes, “My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27, CEV).

St. Paul writes, “The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Why does the gospel light go on for some, but not for others? We could spend an eternity pondering these questions and not arrive at a satisfactory answer. Ultimately, we must allow God to be God. We did not choose Him, but rather He chose us and for that we can be eternally grateful.

Response

LORD God, I am thankful your Spirit sought me out and drew me to the cross of Jesus. I bow before you in praise and gratitude. I pray you will show the same mercy to many others. Give me a heart of compassion for those who have not experienced your saving grace. Amen.

Your Turn

Do you understand God’s sovereign choice? How do you respond?

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian followers!

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look, click here.