Have you ever been out to lunch with someone for mostly business purposes, or for some other sort of obligation? The fellow diner is not someone with whom you feel very comfortable. And so you provide obligatory conversation, eat very carefully – obeying all the formal dining rules, – and wonder if the impression you emit is quite satisfactory.
On these somewhat nerve-wracking occasions, you discover that even your favorite pasta dish is not as mouth-watering as it usually is. Your smile strains your facial muscles, instead of hearty laughter erupting from the gut.
On the other hand, the steak seems juicier, the conversation flows freely, and laughter is unbridled at the dinner table of two real friends. When genuine companions get together, the dining is sweet because the dining is real, built on the comfort of relationship.
Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 (NAS), “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.”
Why did Jesus add those last four words?
Why did He not just leave it at “I will dine with you”?
At the surface, it seems redundant to say it both ways: “I will dine with you AND you will dine with me.”
But God does not waste words! He added the vital second part because real dining – the kind of dining you want to do – involves not just a guest and a host, but two people in relationship.
When Jesus spoke these pointed words, he was addressing a group of people whose love for God had grown cold, formal, and religious. God despises religion, but adores relationship. And so, our Savior proclaims, “Be zealous and repent” in order that you may invite Me in to eat with you and truly enjoy my company.
Do you enjoy your relationship with Jesus? Or has religious formality crept in as the busyness of your life rages on?
Pray now. Pray sincerely. Be real. Tell Jesus you are sorry that He and you are not connecting at the core.
Then invite Him in to dine with you and you with Him.