Dining With Jesus (May 13, 2013)

When you became a born-again Christian it was because Jesus Christ knocked at the door of your heart calling you, and you heard His voice and opened the door of your heart, and He came in and started sharing a meal together with you as friends. (See Revelation 3:20)

The first entree on the menu was pure spiritual milk that made you grow into a full experience of salvation. (See 1. Peter 2:2) After enjoying this for a season, it was time for the main course which was solid food that is only for those who are mature, who through training, have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. (See Hebrews 5:14)

Now, because of the way you act, you have become like a tree that produces only good fruits. (See Matthew 7:15-20) Even better, you continue to grow, producing a harvest of of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! (See Mark 4:20) You are the salt of the earth, full of flavor! (See Matthew 5:13) Yes, for people to taste and see that the Lord is GOOD!!! (See Psalm 34:8)

You have modeled your life after Romans 12:1-21:

You gave your body to God because of all He has done for you. You are living a holy sacrificial lifestyle—the kind God finds acceptable. This is the way you truly worship Him. You don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but you let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. This is how you learned to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

You don’t think you are better than you really are. You are honest in your evaluation of yourself, measuring yourself by the faith God has given you.

You don't just pretend to love others. You really love them. You hate what is wrong. You hold tightly to what is good. You love people with genuine affection, and you take delight in honoring others. You are not lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. You are confident, hopeful, and always full of joy. You are patient in trouble, and you always keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, you are ready to help them. You are always eager to practice hospitality. You bless those who persecute you. You don’t curse them, but you pray that God will bless them. You are happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. You live in harmony with others. You are not too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And you don’t think you know it all! You never pay back evil with more evil. You do things in such a way that everyone can see that you are honorable.

You do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. You never take revenge. You leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge;
 I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, you feed them. 
If they are thirsty, you give them something to drink. In doing this, you heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” You don’t let evil conquer you, but you conquer evil by doing good.