[Darris McNeely] Four words you never want to hear, you can be replaced. Nobody wants to hear that type of message delivered because we usually tend to think of ourselves in our jobs, in our positions, wherever we might find ourselves in life, in certain relationships, as irreplaceable, indispensable. Tenure in a position, tenure in a job can cause us to think that way can lead us to think that we've got time in, we've earned our place, and nothing, no one can change that.

But you know, you wanna know the truth, all of us can be replaced. None of us are irreplaceable, none of us are indispensable. When it comes to God and His purpose and plan, He expects us to be in alignment with His purpose, and with His plan. You know, we have life and duties, we have marriages and we have families and all of which are important and in their place, but in the end, God expects us to be first of all, in alignment with His values, His purpose, it says, seek first the kingdom of God.

Christ spoke to this in a parable in Luke chapter 14, beginning in verse 15, about those who were invited to a feast. And he said, when those of you that recline a table, hear these things, He said, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God. But he said to him, a man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to say to those who've been invited, come, everything is ready, but they all those who were invited began to make excuses. The first said, 'I bought a field and I have to go and deal with it, have me excused.' Another said, 'I bought five yoke of oxen and I've gotta go examine them, please give me an excuse.' And another said, 'I've married a wife and I have to take care of those duties and responsibilities.'"

All of these are good, necessary part of life, but Christ is making a bigger point. The servant came reported to his master what everyone who'd been invited said. And the master of the house became very angry. And he said, "Go out quickly to the streets in the lanes and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. And his servant said, "What you've commanded has been done and still there's room." So, these poor and blind came in and the master said to the servant, "Go out to the highways, the hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled, for I tell you, none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet."

Those who were invited and didn't come thought that they were irreplaceable. They thought that they had a place there, they would always have a place at that table. And Christ is saying unless we get aligned with the ultimate principles of him and His Father, the kingdom of God, then there runs a chance that we could be replaced by someone else. The principle applies to us. In other parts of our lives, in our work, in a position where we may be, we have to be aligned with the purpose of the corporation, the place where we work. Things can change, time goes on and we have to be alert, flexible, adaptable, and always keeping a measure of humility about us so that we can still be used and never come to the point where we think that we're irreplaceable. That we're the only one that could do that job.

Above all, God wants us to be aligned to His purpose, to seek first His kingdom. And when we do that with the right spirit and attitude, then we will be flexible enough and responsive enough, be aligned with God's purpose, and have a right place at that feast, at that place in His kingdom that God is preparing.

"That's BT Daily." Join us next time.