Jesus’ Thanksgiving Table
Millions will gather together for Thanksgiving to celebrate with family and friends. The turkey still remains the traditional centerpiece, sometimes accompanied by a honey baked ham. Tables will be set with all the trimmings: rice, gravy, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, corn, broccoli, stuffing or dressing, yams, cranberry sauce, casseroles, devil eggs, buttered rolls, iced tea and a myriad of other favorite dishes. Ice cream and pies—pumpkin, sweet potato, and apple—along with various assortments of cakes and cookies, will complete the Thanksgiving spread.
But what if Jesus invited you to His Thanksgiving dinner? What if He invited you to dine at His table? Imagine what might be on the table? You probably won’t see a turkey or ham surrounded with all the trimmings. Nor will you encounter an assortment of desserts such as pumpkin, potato, or apple pies that may sway you to overeat.
But what you might see is a table spread unlike any you’ve ever seen before. A table filled with everything you need for a magnificent Thanksgiving feast. But unlike the food you and I normally experience, this table overflows with spiritual food.
His table changes our traditional view of what a Thanksgiving table really looks like. On Jesus’s table lies the centerpiece—love. You will find an abundance of trimmings: peace, joy, truth, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, patience, wisdom, self-control, comfort, self-worth, goodness, faithfulness and a myriad of other blessings. Mercy and grace along with victory over any weapon of the enemy compliments His spread. His table overflows with all that we need to grow and nourish our souls.
Jesus invites us to dine and eat with Him. His word says, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). He desires for you and I to eat as much as we want and need (with no weight gain as a bonus)! He wants us to abide in Him and leave feeling fully satisfied.
Sadly, many refuse to sit and eat. Some may nibble for a bit and leave. Others search for crumbs, crawling around under the table grabbing what they find and leave. They settle for quick bites or leftovers and wonder why they feel spiritually hungry and weak.
This Thanksgiving, Jesus bids us to come to His bountiful table. Jesus is love and He desires to be the centerpiece of our lives. He wants to fill our plates with all of His many blessings. His table delivers everything our starving souls need. He willingly and generously shares His meal with us each and every day. In John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
I don’t know about you, but I accept Jesus’ invitation to dine at His table. His Thanksgiving spread trumps all others. I crave to experience His abundance of trimmings that He offers to help me grow and nourish my soul! And not just on Thanksgiving, but I choose to abide in Him every day to avoid feeling spiritually hungry.
Why? Simply …
