We are all invited to join Jesus.
What do you imagine being invited to dine with royalty would look like? Engraved invitation? Hand-delivered? And what about the meal? How many courses? How fancy is the table setting?
Well, the King of Kings began His earthly life as a carpenter’s son. Yet He sits at the right hand of God. Yet His invitation has survived thousands of years.
More than salvation:
Yes, Jesus wants to enter your heart and take up residency as your Lord and Savior. But He wants more than just permission to enter. If we hear His knock and open the door, He will come in. But it doesn’t stop there. Rev. 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Jesus wants to join us for fellowship, friendship – relationship. He wants to come to the table WITH YOU.
Don’t worry if the place is a mess. (He’s there to help you with the deep cleaning.)
Don’t worry that you have nothing to serve Him. (Fish sticks and toast will be fine – He’ll stretch that to feed everyone, and you’ll have plenty of leftovers.)
The whole point is that we’re invited to spend time with Him. To hang out with the Son of God.
Listen now to Sidewalk Prophets as they sing “Come to the Table.”
3 R’s of Insight into Jesus’ Invitations
1. REST – Matt. 11:28 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you REST.”
2. RECRUITMENT – Mark 1:17 – “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
3. REMAIN – John 15:4 – “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.”
Big Question:
Are we observing God from a distance, or are we spending enough time with Him in the Word and in prayer to become more like Him?
We are not like Him if we’re stressed and withdrawn under the chaos of these uncertain days. No. We need MORE time with God.
We are not like Him if we are short-tempered with our family who have been in close-quarters with us for weeks on end. No. We need more time with GOD.
We are not like Him if we snark at people on social media or in the grocery line because we don’t agree with what they say or how long it takes them to finish their transaction. No. We need more TIME with God.
We are not like Him when we judge others by their actions during this global pandemic because it is not our place to judge No. We need more time with God to remind us of His grace and mercy.
Dig Deeper:
- For what 2 things in Ps. 62:1 is God our source?
- Since God has invited us, how do we get to Him? See John 14:6
- Since we’ve been invited, how should we approach God? See Heb. 4:16
- What does He promise us in James 4:8? Who is to make the first move? Is that the way human invitations work? Does Rev. 3:20 back this up?
Prompt:
Find a way to creatively illustrate what Rev. 3:20 means to you. Mine is below.
That’s my quick sketch of sweet tea reserved for Jesus.
Will you take Him up on His invitation today? For a different look into Invitation, read this post from last year.
Father God, we thank You for Your open invitation to us all – regardless of who we are and what we’ve done, You stand at our hearts and knock. Help us to invite You in AND to spend more time with You, especially during these uncertain times. Help us to see that You are there for us, but You are waiting for us to make the next move.