Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
What’s on your heart today? Can you hear Jesus?
He reveals to us in today’s scripture He is standing at the door of our heart and He is knocking. As you open up your senses to His voice and allow the voice of the world to die down, you will discover how to put Jesus at the centre of your life.
Putting Jesus at the centre is doing what Mary (Martha’s sister) did when He came to have a meal together. Martha is running around frantically trying to prepare the meal that they can enjoy together, but she missed it. Jesus is the meal.
Mary is sitting at His feet and feeding upon Jesus. She is dining with Him.
The word "dine" in Revelation 3:20 is the Greek word “deipneo” meaning “to dine together”; “to share a meal together”. Possibly the closest modern-day word might be “a date”. This dining involves intimacy and deep fellowship. It’s where Jesus nourishes you, satisfies you and fills you with His life, His love, and His grace as you simply “feed” or dine with Him. Have you ever retreated to a lounge chair and rested, fully satisfied after an enjoyable meal? This is what Jesus wants you to experience through feeding upon Him. Your soul is fully rested and satisfied.
When Jesus teaches the Holy Communion at the Last Supper to His disciples, it includes this word – “deipneo”. They have all just enjoyed an intimate time of feeding and fellowship and they are now rested, satisfied and reclining at the table together. Jesus then teaches them about Holy Communion.
As we partake of the Holy Communion we are literally deipneo with Jesus. We are partaking of His body and drinking of His blood, by faith. We are ingesting His health and His life into ours through His body and blood.
When we put Jesus at the centre of our lives as Mary did and give Jesus and His Word the highest value in our lives, we will see ourselves becoming filled with faith in Jesus and His love for you which dissolves anxieties and fears about the future, it dissolves guilt and condemnation about your past.
Put yourself in a place where you can hear the good news about Jesus and His grace. Be like Mary and value these times; alone during your devotions and together with other believers at church. Don’t become distracted with the demands and busyness of the day. Yes, you have many things that are demanding your time – but as you prioritize the one thing that Mary did, you will find Jesus going before you to strengthen you, help you and uphold you through everything else.
Jesus fills you with His strength, nourishes you with His peace and satisfies your soul fully as you simply dine with Him.