Created to be at the Master's Table - Part 2

Friday we took a journey into the life of a boy named Mephibosheth (Sheth).  To recap, we learned that Sheth, as a boy, experienced some pretty harsh tragedies.   Later in life, the king summons him to his palace to show him kindness.  Then Sheth is given his inheritance and begins to eat regularly from the king’s table. 

Today, would you consider the following questions with me?  What if Sheth could not get past his “dead dog” mentality and didn’t feel worthy enough to come into the king’s presence?  What if he allowed the pains of yesterday to effect him so severely that he simply refused to come into the king’s presence?  What if Sheth fell into a pile of misunderstanding and just couldn’t believe the king was really calling him to come?  The implications would be devastating:  Sheth would not have experienced how kind and loving the king really was.  Second, he would have given up his inheritance to someone else.  Lastly, he would have never discovered what it was like to dine in a place of honor with the king.

Listen, God loves all of us and He’s calling us to come. We did not choose Him, but He chose us.  He invites us to come to Him just as we are.  Lost, hurting, broken, discouraged, confused, bound, dirty, messed up, dried up and fed up.  He can handle any and all of our problems.  Nothing knocks Him off His throne.  We are never too far gone.  We will never blow it big enough.  He is dialing our number and it’s up to us to answer His call.  Jesus said   “How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me”.  (Matt. 23:37)  Can you see it?  Can you see Jesus stretching out His arms to gather us up under His wings of protection and provision?  He longs to show us that He is kind, but we must let Him!  One of the greatest acts of kindness our Father exhibited was by sending His Son to take all of the punishment for our sins so that we can come boldly to His throne of grace – not with our head hanging down like a “dead dog”.  In His kindness, He said He would give us beauty for our ashes, the oil of joy instead of sadness and fill our mouth with praise instead of a state of depression that circumstances have kept us. (Isaiah 61:3)

Additionally, our Father has left us an amazing inheritance!  You and I cannot claim what belongs to us if we don’t know what He has left for us in His Will.  We must be fed daily at the table of our King.  He has many things to show us and many things to teach us.  All He requires from us is that we come. 

There is nothing more exhilarating, nothing more fulfilling, and nothing more satisfying than to be in the presence of the King, hear Him whisper in our ear and dine on His Words of Truth!  Mmmm, mmm, mmm…let’s taste and see that the Lord is GOOD! 

Created to be at the Master’s Table

Today, let’s take a journey into the life of a boy named Mephibosheth.  To keep my post a little shorter, would you mind if I shorten his name to Sheth?  I’m sure he wouldn’t mind either…perhaps he had some sort of nickname anyway???  I don’t know.

Sheth’s father and grandfather were killed in battle.  After his nurse hears of the news she grabs him to flee, drops him and he becomes crippled in both feet.   There is no doubt that this precious young boy has had some devastating blows thrust at him.  He didn’t ask for it and he didn’t cause it.  These tragedies had such a tremendous effect on Sheth that he even considered himself as a “dead dog”.

But hold on, we are approaching a huge fork in the road!  Our God was about to use a man named David – who just happens to be the king - to drive Sheth’s  broken life right down the path where he was created to be…at the Master’s table.  Let’s go into David’s palace and take a peek at the conversation that took place just after David summoned him.  (I shortened the story so we can see the main events that took place).

David said, “Greetings, Sheth.”  Sheth replied, “I am your servant.”  David said “Don’t be afraid! I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”  Sheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”… And from that time on, Sheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons.  (2 Sam. 9 – NLT)

 Wow, can you see the beautiful picture that God is painting for you and me today?  God wanted us to know that He did not forget about Sheth - and He wants us to know that He hasn’t forgotten about us either!  God summons.   We must respond.  He shows us His kindness.  We trust that He is kind.  He heals our hearts from the devastating blows that life has dealt us (or possibly dealing us right now) and reveals to us that we are not a “dead dog”, but instead a child of the KING! 

So what are we waiting for?  He is serving a feast from the platter of His Word!  It’s time to pull up our chairs to the King’s table and taste and see that He IS GOOD!  

There is Only One Thing Worth Being Concerned About

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NLT)

Jesus says something very profound to Martha and He is telling us the same thing today.  My dear children there is only one thing worth being concerned about and that is sitting at My feet, in My presence, listening to what I desire to teach you.

I don’t know about you, but I have to fight off distractions that try and steal my time with the Lord.  It is bizarre how the darts of distraction will hit your mind when you decide to read your Bible and spend some time at the Lord’s feet.  Our distractions may sound something like this: “look at this mountain of laundry that needs to be done”, or “this house needs a good cleaning” or “I need to take the laundry to the dry cleaners, the dog to the vet, pick up some groceries, take the kids to the dentist and on, and on and on”.  They are distractions.  They are meant to keep us from the one thing worth being concerned about…our relationship with JESUS!

Do we neglect our responsibilities to sit at His feet?  No.  He knows all the daily things we have to take care of; which is why He tells us “Seek Me first and all these things will be added to you”. (Mt. 6:33) He wants to make sure we get our daily Bread from heaven to sustain us for the day’s demands.  I have found that as I put Him first and sit at His feet, He faithfully sees to it that all the things on my list get done too!  Let’s spend some time discovering the One who has so much Love to give us and much wisdom to teach us!  Is it a struggle?  Yes.  Will we have to fight off distractions?  Yes.  But Jesus ALWAYS makes it worth it!

Our Past Sins Can Be Paralyzing

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”(Luke 5:18-20-NLT)

Paralyzed:  To make powerless or ineffective.  To bring to an end: prevent, destroy. (Webster’s Dictionary)

How many times do we look at our sins, our faults, our failures, our weaknesses, our past, etc. and allow them to paralyze us from moving forward into the abundant life that God has promised us? 

We have to be aware that the enemy of our soul – the accuser of the brethren – desires to make us powerless and ineffective in the world which we live.  He wants to destroy and prevent any chances we have to live the abundant life God has offered us.  He doesn’t want us walking in freedom and in power!  As long as he can keep us “paralyzed on our sleeping mat” then we will never experience all that God has for us.

After they lowered the man into the crowd, the very first thing Jesus says to the paralyzed man is “Young man, your sins are forgiven you!”  Out of every word Jesus could have said to the man He wanted this man to know that his sins are forgiven!  I believe this man needed to know this Truth before he could receive the next thing Jesus was about to say….“Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!’” So the man jumps up, picks up his mat and praises God all the way home! (Luke 5:24-NLT)

I have some great news today!  If you have asked the Lord to come and live in your heart and to forgive you of your sins, then He wants YOU to know YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN!  Period.  So let’s stand up, pick up our mat and walk in the freedom that our sins are forgiven so we can receive all that the Lord has for us.

Abide in His Love

I have loved you, as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love (Jn. 15:9 AMP)

My goodness, Jesus wants you and me to know that He LOVES us.  Not only does He love us, but He loves us just as much as His own Father loves Him.  He loves us with an extravagant love!  Immediately after He expresses his love towards us, what does He say to do?  Abide in My Love.  The word abide is a verb and it means: to dwell, remain, tarry, live, reside, linger. 

Please lend me your ear…I have some good news!  Jesus is not mad at us!  He is not out to drop us in the grease.  He is not waiting for the opportunity to smack us over the head for our failures.  He doesn’t want to divorce us.  He doesn’t want to fire us.  He told us the truth when He said “For I have not come to judge and to condemn and to pass sentence and to inflict penalty on the world, but to save the world”. (Jn. 12:37 - AMP)

Friends, He doesn’t ever want us to forget that He LOVES us.  He is telling us to dwell in My love.  Don’t leave My love residence.  Remain in My love.  Tarry in My love.  Linger on in My love.  I want you to know above all else that I LOVE YOU!

So, how do we abide in His love?  By spending time with Him and time in His Word meditating on the Truth that we are LOVED!  “For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10-NKJ).