In Luke 19 Jesus is invited to a dinner at the home of a prominent Pharisee.
There He notices the pride of the religious leaders.
The culture in which they lived created a particular seating order for dinners and banquets.
The more honored the guest, the closer to the host he sat.
We still practice portions of this today.
Well, at this particular dinner Jesus stands back and watches the Pharisees and scribes scramble to get the seats of highest honor.

So he makes a suggestion:
When you are invited to a banquet, don’t be so quick to snatch-up the seat of highest honor.
What if there has been someone more distinguished than you invited to the event.
You would be embarrassed to have the host come to you and say, “Slide down, Jack.”
Jesus added, take the lowest spot.
Then you will be honored with the host comes to you and says:

“Friend, come up higher.”
Luke 14:10 BLB

Now the context of this is a lesson on pride, but the admonition remains the same.

How often do we enter the presence of God, whether it by ourselves or here, in a worship service, only to feel so insecure and unworthy that we slip to the back of the room to remain unnoticed?

For fear of being humiliated, we take the lesser seat, not wanting to presume on the kindness of God. But, then, the God we worship sees us hiding in the back and says,
“What are you doing back there friend? Come up higher!
I want you to sit with me! I want you to enjoy my presence! I love you!”

Have you had that kind of experience? Instantly, you feel valued!

The New Living Translation puts it like this,
“Friend, we have a better place for you!”
Luke 14:10 NLT

This year, we’re hearing our God say:  Come up higher; I have a better place for you

How amazing to know that God invites you to come up higher, to move up to a better place than where you are in life right now.

You should never be satisfied with where you simply began your walk with Christ.
The walk of faith assumes progression.
It’s a walk!
Don’t stand still, but don’t just move forward… move upward.

Friend, come up higher!

It’s both a gracious invitation and an awesome challenge!
God has so much more for us than when we first began in our journey with Him!

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
Romans 5:10 NIV

Catch the phrase:  “much more

God has much more. Not just more. MUCH more for us.

But you won’t find it slumping down in the back, His call for you is
Come Up Higher

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us…
Ephesians 3:20 AMP

God offers you immeasurably more than you could even ask or dream!
The choice is yours. You can remain where you are or come up higher!

Whether the place that you are in right now is horrible, okay, or absolutely amazing,
God’s invitation for you this year, is to come up higher.