October 16

Morning

“Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said to them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord. — John 21:12 BSB

In these words, believers are invited to draw near to Jesus. "Come and dine!" means sharing the same table, partaking of the same meal, and even reclining close to Him, resting your head on the Savior’s chest. It’s like being brought into His banqueting house, where the banner of His redeeming love waves over you.

“Come and dine!” signifies union with Jesus because the only meal we can feast on with Him is Himself. What a mysterious union this is! It’s something that reason cannot fully grasp, yet we feed on Jesus. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”

This invitation also speaks to fellowship with other believers. Though we may differ in various opinions, we all share the same spiritual hunger. Even if we don’t all feel alike, we can all feast alike on the bread of life. At the table of fellowship with Jesus, we share one bread and one cup. As we pass the cup of love around, we pledge ourselves to one another in Christ. The closer we get to Jesus, the closer we are drawn to each other. If we were nearer to Jesus, we would be nearer to each other in spirit.

We also see here the source of strength for every Christian. To look at Christ is life, but for strength to serve Him, you must “come and dine.” We often suffer from spiritual weakness because we neglect this command. There’s no need for any of us to be on a spiritual diet! Instead, we should feast on the richness of the gospel, accumulating strength to use for the Master’s service. So if you want to experience closeness with Jesus, union with Him, love for His people, and strength from Him, “come and dine” with Him by faith!

Evening

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. — Ps 36:9 BSB

There are moments in our spiritual journey when human counsel, sympathy, or religious practices fail to bring comfort or relief. Why does our gracious God allow this? Perhaps it’s because we’ve been depending too much on other things instead of Him, so He removes those supports to draw us back to Himself. It’s a blessed place to be, living at the source, rather than relying on our water bottles. Like Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness, we’re content as long as our bottles are full, but when they run dry, we have no choice but to turn to God Himself.

We are often like the prodigal son, content to feed on the swine’s food while forgetting about our Father’s house. Religious forms and practices are good, but when we place them ahead of God Himself, they become useless. Anything that takes God’s place in our lives becomes an idol, even something as once-precious as the brazen serpent must be destroyed if we start to worship it instead of God. The prodigal son was never safer than when he was driven to his father’s arms because there was nowhere else to turn.

God sometimes sends a famine to make us seek Him more earnestly. The best place for a Christian to be is wholly dependent on God’s grace, living as we did at the beginning of our faith journey, “having nothing, yet possessing everything.” Let us never think for a moment that our standing with God depends on our sanctification, our mortification, our graces, or our feelings. We are saved because of the full atonement Christ has made for us, not because of anything we’ve done. Our only source of confidence is found in the merits of Jesus—His suffering and perfect life. When we are in a state of thirst, we eagerly return to the fountain of life!