“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began
to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”
—Luke 24:30–31, NIV
“Hey! That’s my chair!”
I imagine you’ve gotten upset at some point when someone took your seat—or someone has gotten upset with you for claiming theirs. If not, perhaps you played musical chairs as a child. How did you feel when there wasn’t a chair left for you? Did you push and shove to claim the remaining chair? Did you walk away upset because you lost the last seat?
Regardless of what we lose, we’re prone to get upset when someone takes something we believe is rightfully ours— even if there is music playing in the background.
No one likes to feel cheated, but what about when we cheat ourselves? Do we even realize when we do it—or care?
The heartbreak is we cheat ourselves and seldom bat an eye. Then, to add insult to injury, we repeat the behavior.
We rob ourselves of quality time with those we love, fritter away hard-earned money, and squander our days. We choose the path of least resistance, make poor food choices, and give television sitcoms priority over reading God’s Word.
The Word is where I want to sit for a moment, so pull up a chair (your own, please) and let’s talk.
There are plenty of chairs at the Lord’s table. There’s one reserved for each of us, so no one needs to worry about someone stealing their seat. The question is: Do we want it? I ask because there are often empty chairs at his table. Do misplaced priorities rob us of time in God’s presence?
A few days after Christ’s resurrection, the Emmaus disciples failed to recognize Jesus. Not until they invited him into their house and received the Bread of Life from his nail-scarred hands did their eyes open to his identity.
Do you wonder where Jesus is in your circumstances? Wonder if he cares? If so, refuse to substitute the world’s fare for the Bread of Life that comes through reading God’s Word. God paid the ultimate price for our reservation at his table—the blood of his only Son, Jesus. To know we’re robbing ourselves of a relationship with him and to do nothing about it is foolish.
If we could pull back the curtain of eternity and see what is to come, there would be no empty chairs at the King’s table. Push away from the world’s table and claim your seat. There’s a place reserved for you.
Now it’s your turn. What is one thing we can do to safeguard our time with the Lord?
I always welcome your comments.
