Meet Me at the Table - Part 2

You can read "Meet Me At The Table"- Part 1 (Click Here)

“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Revelation 3:20

In my mind’s eye, I can still see the picture hanging on my primary Sunday School room. There on the outside of the closed door stood Jesus knocking. I was taught that He knocks longing to come into my heart and save me from my sin. It was portrayed to me as a picture of salvation, yet in scripture this verse was written to the church. It is at the heart of the believer that he knocks longing to share intimate fellowship. There was a serious issue that had to be settled before the meal took place.

I don’t know if you prefer your food and drink like my husband, Ed or me. I want food intended to be hot to be eaten hot and intended cold food to be cold. I also want my coffee hot unless it is an iced coffee. Now Ed is different and he really could care less. He will finish a cup of coffee that has sat on the kitchen counter all day. He is known to not only eat cold pizza for breakfast, but He will eat any cold left over food. I have this quirk that Ed loves to tease me about. I hardly ever drink the last sips of my coffee. It has gotten lukewarm or cold at the bottom and I just don’t want it.

I wonder if this is the picture that God is trying to get us to see before he extends his offer to sit at the table with us. If we are going to sit eye to eye and have intimate relationship, we must be hot or cold…. no lukewarm acceptable to him. He says He will spew or vomit the lukewarm from His mouth. (Rev. 3:15-16) The bottom of the cup is repulsive to Him and He just won’t swallow it. He gave His life for us and we are to be steaming hot for Him.

Mr. and Mrs. Lukewarm recline at the table saying, “I am rich and I am in need of nothing” yet not realizing they are wretched, pitiful, blind and naked. (v. 17) We must come in our desperate, needy state. It is from this place of honest confession that we will truly receive from Him. He brings conviction to our hearts just as He did with Zachaeus. He brings discipline, correction and instruction to us as we come needy, longing to be made hot by His presence.

So, we swing wide open the door of our heart, sickened by our self-sufficiency. Tired of our puffed up pride. Straining to see truth through blind eyes. Broken, naked, pitiful in great need of a meal with our Lord. He comes through our open door and brings truth to us. We are made truly wealthy through our inheritance in Christ Jesus. He clothes us with Himself and we no longer stand in shame. He heals our blind eyes that we can see Him.

At the table of intimacy is everything that we need. Come needy and leave full, healed, clothed, forgiven, changed from lukewarm to hot and passionately in love with Him.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph. 1:3

“Meet Me at the Table” – Part 1

It seems that the Lord is speaking to me a lot about tables lately. I can’t keep up with all that He is pouring out, so over the next few weeks I want to use this blog space to process some of these new insights. I invite you to my table of new revelation and encourage you to ponder with me what the Lord is teaching.

Something special happens when you sit around the table and share a meal. There is a closeness that comes as you talk and laugh and linger a little longer than the meal actually lasts. My favorite part is when all the food is gone and all sip a slow cup of coffee together. Everyone is relaxed and it seems that genuineness comes to the table. It’s a different meal-sharing than the one my husband and I most often experience which is plates on our laps as we watch something on the TV. It’s also different than the ones when we rush into town from his home place in North Georgia seeking a restaurant that has Wi-Fi. We basically eat our entire meal with our phones in hand, taking care of business and catching up on important news. I hate the meals when I am pouring out my heart and an important text comes to his phone that he feels he has to answer. My heart flow is interrupted and it never seems the same when I try to re-start. We all do it. We have met to share a meal and more importantly, a life and yet we are interrupted by so many distractions that we leave the table with our bellies full but our hearts empty.

Lord awaken us to the special moments that are shared at the table!

When I was a child one of my favorite stories was the one of a short little man named Zachaeus. Luke 19:1-10 tells the story of how he climbed up into a sycamore tree so that he could see Jesus. The crowd was great and he knew the only way he could actually see Jesus would be to get up above the pressing crowd. To his amazement Jesus walked right up to that tree, looked up to where Zachaeus was perched and told him to come down. That’s right! He shimmies down the tree quicker than he had climbed it, because Jesus had told him, “I’m going to your house to be your guest today.” I believe that to mean that they shared a meal together. As Zachaeus sat and ate with Him, he knew the sin in his life and quickly repented. The righteousness of God caused Him to want to make right all that he had done wrong. He repented that day and stood up from the table a different man.

Did you know that Jesus longs to share a meal with you?

An uninterrupted meal? A linger longer time together?

He sees you right where you are. One man or one woman feeling kind of small, hidden and insignificant. Yet there is something inside of you secretly wishing you could just catch a glimpse of Him passing by.

Will you pause and sit at the table with Him. No interruptions. No distractions. Eyes locked, hearts unfolded, every need satisfied?

He waits for you!

It Changes Everything

This Easter I had no children or grandchildren with me for the annual family egg hunt. We are scattered around, but I was blessed to enjoy my extended family including precious great nieces and nephews. The egg hunt was the same as every year, with a bounty of candies and plastic eggs. I am grateful to be a part of a faith-filled family. As I visited from circle to circle, I joined in conversations of Jesus and this marvelous life that we have because of Him.

This Monday morning I am very happy that I have no left over chocolate to hide from myself nor plastic grass and eggs peeking from underneath the sofa. But one thing still lingers and for this I am praising God. The Easter truth that “Jesus is Alive” inserted into Monday morning (and every other morning) changes everything. My scripture reading today reminds me of what I received from the reality of this past weekend’s celebrations.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Eph. 1:19-20

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, Who lives in you.” Rom. 8 11

If you really got the truth behind those words you are doing a happy dance right now. We, plain ordinary Monday morning people, who have received Christ’s work on the cross, have His resurrection power within us. There is no difficulty or need greater than Resurrection power. There is no pit so deep that Resurrection power does not reach. There is no mountain too high for Resurrection power to tear down. There is no relationship too far gone that is too much for Resurrection power.

Oh, God, give us faith to believe this same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us.

People….let’s believe what we declare and what we celebrate. The cross is enough. The cross changes everything….even a Monday morning.