ββ¦I appoint unto you a kingdomβ¦that ye may eat and drink at MyΒ table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes ofΒ Israelβ (LukeΒ 22:29,30).
As you can see from these words that the Lord spoke to the twelveΒ apostles,Β diningΒ with the King is associated withΒ reigningΒ with Him.Β We see this same thought in the Lordβs words to Tribulation Jews whoΒ will need to overcome the temptation to take the mark of the beast ifΒ they want to reign with Christ in the kingdom of heaven on earth:
ββ¦if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in toΒ him,Β and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcomethΒ will I grantΒ to sit with Me in My throneβ¦β (Rev.Β 3:20,21).
If you are wondering what connectionΒ diningΒ with the king couldΒ have toΒ reigningΒ with him, the kingβs table was probably a place whereΒ the kingβs business was discussed.
We see this connection between dining and reigning typified in theΒ story of Mephibosheth. If youβll remember, after David became theΒ king of Israel, he wanted to show kindness to any members of theΒ house of Saul that he could find (II Sam. 9:1). When MephiboshethΒ was brought to his attention (II Sam. 9:2-6), David said to him,
ββ¦I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy fatherβs sake,Β and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father;Β and thou shaltΒ eat bread at my table continuallyβ (II Sam. 9:7).
David went on to give Mephibosheth βall that pertained to Saul andΒ to all his houseβ (II Sam. 9:9), and remember, Saul had been king of Israel. InΒ other words, Mephibosheth was given aΒ kingβs inheritance, and invitedΒ to sit at the kingβs table and reign with him βas one of the kingβs sonsβΒ (II Sam. 9:11). Quite an honor for the grandson of a man who had once beenΒ the present kingβs enemy.
Some men might take such a tremendous honor for granted, butΒ not Mephibosheth! He later told David:
ββ¦all of my fatherβs house were but dead men before my lord theΒ king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thineΒ own table.Β What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto theΒ king?β (II Sam.Β 19:28).
Mephibosheth knew that he had beenΒ given such an unbelievably high honorΒ that he felt he had no right ever to askΒ the king for anything ever again.
Now how about you? May I remindΒ you that what the king did for MephiboshethΒ is exactly what your King hasΒ done for you? God βhath raised us upΒ togetherβ with Christ (Eph. 2:5,6), βandΒ made us sit together in heavenly placesΒ in Christ Jesus,β we who were once members of the family of GodβsΒ βenemiesβ (Rom.Β 5:10).
InΒ response, you can grumble and complain about your positionΒ in life, or you can rejoice in your positionΒ in heaven, and join MephiboshethΒ in wondering about your right ever to ask anything moreΒ of God beyond what He has already done in giving you a KingβsΒ inheritance (Eph.Β 1:11) and seating you at the Kingβs table βas oneΒ of the kingβs sonsβ (cf. Gal. 4:4-7). Iβm sure David would have givenΒ Mephibosheth anything he asked for, but his heart was so filled withΒ thanksgiving that he felt he didnβt dare ask for more. While we haveΒ a clear command from God through Paul to βlet your requests be madeΒ known unto Godβ (Phil. 4:6), before asking God for anything, it mightΒ be good to run a βMephibosheth checkβ on the level of your gratitude.Β After all, if God never did anything else for you other than what HeΒ has already done for you in Christ, Heβs done enough. source