“By this time, they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So, he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, who said, “The Lord has really risen!””

Luke 24:28-34

My heart was on fire! All I could do was cry and be thankful. I knew it was Jesus. And I knew He was calling my name.

Even though I had been baptized when I was seven and journeyed with Jesus over the years, I had allowed him to slip away. I guess I never fully recognized the power that His resurrection held over my own hopes, dreams, and expectations, but this day in 2014 is the day I invited Him to stay.

I had never taken the time to really get to know Him. I mean, I knew that He had died for my sins and that I would get to heaven. I knew that I could pray and maybe get what I wanted. But the reality of a relationship, a mutual partnership in the Kingdom of heaven, a teacher, a friend, and an ever-present hope and help was far from being emblazoned in my heart until now.

In the passage above, Jesus had met these two disciples along the road to Emmaus. He had been brutally crucified and their hopes of Him being their savior was crushed. They had expected tangible power and overthrown kingdoms, but now they doubted and feared the future. They didn’t recognize Jesus when they met them on the road, but they listened to what He had to say as He explained how the Scriptures fulfilled God’s plan through His life, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection (Luke 24:13-27). This precious time with Jesus led them to want more and they invited Him to stay for dinner.

But what they didn’t know was that Jesus would actually be their host. As he broke bread and gave it to them, a transforming revelation of the living Lord and understanding of the Scriptures would set their hearts on fire! Their doubts and fears would be left behind and with a fresh passion for Jesus, they would rush to tell others of His victory over death.

How often do we recognize Jesus in our lives? And how often do we invite Him to our table?

Our resurrected Christ longs to sit at your table. He will walk on by if you want Him to, but He will accept every invitation to satisfy your hunger and reveal His love for you. He yearns for you to receive His transformational power and to live with hearts on fire. And all you have to do is ask.

I pray today that you will ask Him to come and stay awhile. I ask Him to set your hearts on fire with greater passion as you move beyond a superficial belief to encounter His living presence and truth. And I pray that as you spend time with Him, you will hear and embrace His promises of peace, hope, purpose, and salvation.

There is no greater treasure than talking with Jesus. May you experience this eye-opening conversation today!

#SaturdaySoulSearch