I guess we’ve all received an invitation in the mail before. It might have been to someone’s wedding, graduation, or a party of some kind. A lot of times formal invitations come with four little letters on the bottom: "R.S.V.P." Those four letters are the initials of French words that mean: Please respond. The person inviting you wants a response from you. They want to know, are you coming or not?

There’s one invitation that has been given to all people, and it’s from God. It’s an invitation to come and be a part of God’s family. It’s an invitation to have a friendship and relationship with God. One statement of this invitation is offered by Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." [NIV]

Yet this invitation, in a sense, comes with an R.S.V.P. It’s up to us to respond to it. We can accept it, and come to God and receive the great blessings God has for us. Or we can throw the invitation in the trash, so to speak, and tell God to forget it, that we’re not interested in His invitation.

God’s still offering that invitation with an R.S.V.P. on it. What’s your response?