No Dongle, No Robe, No Access

I realized yesterday that I have a problem.

After my computer crashed recently, my son-in-law was kind enough to use his computer expertise to retrieve some of my files and transfer them to my new hard drive. I told him I could reinstall my embroidery software.

I own the Husqvarna’s Designer I sewing machine which is also an amazing embroidery machine. I can download designs from hundreds of websites on the internet and run them through the Customizing software, save them to a disk – then put that disk in my machine and the information is stitched out on my sewing project! Beautiful!

Husqvarna Sweden is however very protective over its software and to prevent any unauthorized person from using it provides with the software a little device called a dongle. This dongle has in it a watch dog security chip that will prevent anyone other than the original purchaser of the software from using it.
I realized yesterday that I forgot to retrieve this little device from the back of my computer before giving it to my son-in-law.
Now all my expensive software is useless. It works perfectly on screen, my sewing machine works perfectly but all my designs are denied access to my sewing machine!
No dongle - useless software!

As the reality of this fact sunk into my consciousness, a picture flashed into my mind… One of Jesus’ parables from Matthew 22.

A king was making joyful preparations for his son’s wedding. No detail was overlooked, no expense spared! How long he had been looking forward to his son taking a wife!
When the banquet preparations had passed the king’s careful scrutiny to make sure everything was perfect, he sent his servants out to invite the guests in!
He waited with eagerness for the guests to arrive so the celebrations could begin.
But the servants did not return, nor did the guests appear!

Finally, the king was informed as to what had happened.
The invited guests had spurned the invitation to come partake of the celebration banquet! Some preferred to attend to their own business affairs and some were so violent they had killed the king’s servants,
The king was rightly enraged and declared the invited guests unworthy of their invitation!!
He commanded his servants to go quickly and invite anyone who would come - to search the city for the poor, the outcasts of society.
Soon the banquet hall was filling with excited guests, each wearing the wedding garment they had been given as they were greeted at the door.

When the king was told the guests had all arrived he made his appearance to formally greet them and announce the festivities were about to begin!
However, upon entering the large hall, he spotted a man without a wedding garment. Walking up to him, he demanded to know how he had got in. The man was speechless.
The king angerly waved to his servants and commanded them to throw the man out of the hall!

It was the custom of the first century wealthy Jews to provide wedding garments at the door for the guests to wear over their clothes. While it was not mandatory for them to wear them it was considered an extreme affront to the groom’s father not to wear it and only the most uncouth would refuse. Anyone at the wedding feast not wearing a wedding garment had either not been invited to the wedding or had shown himself unworthy and would be thrown out.

There is nothing I can do except abide by Husqvarna’s rules if I want to have the pleasure of enjoying their products. I must have the dongle attached to my computer.

There is nothing I can do except abide by God’s rules if I want to have the pleasure of enjoying eternal life. I must have the wedding garment.

What is the wedding garment ?

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness!” (Is. 61:10)