May_31

SHARING BREAD

³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

John 6:38-39 (NIV)

Coming down from heaven in direct obedience to His Daddy, our Savior announces to His hearers He is smack dab in the center of God’s desires.  It is, in fact, the most secure and wonderful place to be you know – albeit always costly to the flesh.  His agenda was His Father’s business, coming as God’s great Agent and mankind’s great Physician.  Jesus’ whole life revolved around doing His Father’s will thereby bringing God much glory and lovingly doing good to all men, thereby offering mankind God’s Best.  Loving God and loving others – is this not what every follower of our Lord is to be about?  Is this not a gentle reminder of what life is to be about?  I am reminded of Jesus’ response when asked to state the greatest commandment:

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”   Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)

There is a call from God of His followers to a volitional commitment of Him that is wholehearted, personal, sincere and comprehensive.  In addition, we are to love our neighbor (one that is close by) as ourselves.  In Scot McKnight’s book The Jesus Creed, he gives the following excellent definition of Biblical love:

“Love, a term almost indefinable, is unconditional regard for a person that prompts and shapes behaviors in order to help that person to become what God desires.  Love, when working properly, is both emotion and will, affection and action.”  Scot McKnight  

“Love one another that it may at last be said of Christians as it was at first:  ‘Behold how they love one another.’”   Ralph Venning    

As we allow this mandate from above to sink into our core we will begin to flesh out what it means to be fully devoted followers of Jesus – love God, love others.  We are to let our lights shine and our lives speak through whatever circumstance God places or allows or orchestrates for His glory and our ultimate good.  Just as Jesus set forth for us the perfect example, we are to be about God’s business – through the power of the Holy Spirit – and loving others – again through the power of the Spirit.  I am a simple person.  Having things boiled down so succinctly to the two most important aspects of life appeals to my senses and provides a sieve through which I can place all actions and motives.  Do not be mislead – our motivations are extremely important and do not go unnoticed in the sight of God.  Scripture tells us:   

for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.   1 Chron 28:9 (NIV)

 

² All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.   Prov 16:2 (NIV)

 

 ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.   Heb 4:13 (NIV)

 

“Our Lord does not care so much for the importance of our works as for the love with which they are done.”   Teresa of Avila

Interesting point, God’s will never fails.  If we want to be on the wining team – we best be on God’s side.  If our desire is a life of purpose, passion and peace we must follow the Prince.  I love the Old Testament’s real life examples and God’s promises fulfilled through these lives.  We find the following encouraging words in Joshua stated by the great conqueror:

¹⁴ “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.   Josh 23:14 (NIV)

 

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  ⁹ It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.   Psalms 118:8-9 (NIV)

 

⁸ The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me;   Psalms 138:8 (NIV)

 

Jesus came to fulfill God’s will which He clearly stated in verse 39 – He will lose none that the Father has given Him but will enable them to stand again on the last day.  It is not our righteousness that equips us to stand – they are as filthy rags in God’s sight.  It is only through the righteousness of Jesus that we are not eternally lost. 

“If there be ground for you to trust your own righteousness, then all that Christ did to purchase salvation….is vain.”   Jonathan Edwards

 

³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.   John 6:39

 

What I glean from this:

• I am to be about God’s will for my life relinquishing my will and embracing His.  Contentment comes when I embrace what He has allowed as for my good and His glory.  Why should I kick against the goads?  Peace is found in the center of God’s will.
• I am to love God and to love others – no commandment is greater than this.
• I have no righteousness of my own.

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May_28

SHARING BREAD

³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

John 6:36-37 (NIV)

Unfortunately, our sight does not necessarily equate to our embracing faith.  These Jewish followers had been privy to the miraculous performed by the Messiah yet remained in unbelief; unchanged.  A true encounter with the Savior will always leave one forever changed.  Scripture tells us that sight was not the only thing by which faith was not secured.  Earlier in John, our Savior also described those who diligently searched the Scriptures – which most assuredly pointed them to Jesus – yet they refused to turn to Him for salvation:

³⁹ You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.   John 5:39-40 (NIV)

“He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system, the true righteous Servant of Yahweh, the coming Prophet, the Son of Man, the Davidic King, and the promised Son of God and great High Priest. In spite of the clarity of the revelation, they refused to come to Him for life.”     Bible Knowledge Commentary   

While the evidence which demands from us a verdict is certain, we find in Scripture the following reason for our refusal or for our postponement of turning to the Savior:

¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.    John 3:19-21 (NIV)

Bottom line, we do not want to change.  We like the darkness because it covers our selfishness and our evil deeds while the light exposes the truth and if exposed, our masks are removed.  We have two choices – we can repent and turn to the Savior – walking in the light through His power so that He receives the glory or we can embrace our wills – displaying for the world to see what we truly are – lovers of the created rather than lovers of the Creator.

“We make our choices and then our choices make us. Our everyday choices reveal what we really desire. The essence of sin is pride. The heart of sin is independence and the core of sin is demanding my own way instead of God’s.”  Pat Singleterry

Paul gives us the following grim description of fleshed out unbelief found in Romans:

²⁵ They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen.   Romans 1:25 (NIV)

²⁸ Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.    Romans 1:28-32 (NIV)

 

 ….”The fact of the matter is that we cannot cast off restraint, run riot, please ourselves and be completely hedonistic without a price having to be paid. The human price is the destruction of relationships; the spiritual price is a breach with God.”   John Blanchard

 

“Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.”   Abba Poemen

Just as certainly as holiness is a step by step progression – a long obedience in the right direction (sanctification), likewise, the spiral of sin is a step by step progression – a long obedience to the base direction.  While at this time we cannot fully comprehend the glory and supremacy and pure bliss of God’s highest high, likewise, we cannot fully fathom the depth of depravity and disgrace and pure destruction of mankind’s’ lowest low.  Yet all the while, Jesus, the God of all hope, woos us with His love stating, “Come to Me”.  He tells us, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away”– “I will not, no I will not”.  The promise being a pure gospel promise – He never rejects or drives away those who come to Him in faith – having had the eyes of our understanding awakened and enlightened from GOD, we willingly come.

⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.  John 12:46 (NIV)

 What I glean from this:

• Neither seeing the miraculous nor searching the Scriptures will necessarily secure faith.
• Darkness hides evil while the Light exposes it.
• Jesus will never turn away those coming to Him in faith.

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May_26

SHARING BREAD

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:34-35 (NIV)

Not too dissimilar to the Samaritan woman at the well respectfully asking Jesus for water, these Jewish followers of our Savior respectfully request of Him bread – albeit both were desirous of the commodities alone – missing the mark of the teaching sought which was Christ alone.  Is that not human nature illuminated for us to see?  While it is never wrong to pray for our needs, how much of our prayer life is often consumed with asking for meeting the physical in lieu of the spiritual – not taking into account that our bodies could better fare without food than our souls without Christ.  Most often our priorities are askew because our focus is not fixed – choosing to dwell on the temporal rather than the eternal.  We find earlier in John:

¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:15 (NIV)

 

Oh that we would have the greater desire of King David – the man after God’s own heart – to seek God’s face prior to seeking His hand.  Psalm 27 gives us his earnest petition to the Lord:

⁴ One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.   Psalms 27:4 (NIV)

To dwell in the Lord’s presence is to dwell in security – resting in His shadow.  I am reminded of the words of the great Psalm 91 attributed to Moses:

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.   Psalms 91:1-4 (NIV)

I am certain that is why Jesus lays out for us in the Sermon on the Mount the proper priorities in what we are to seek first:

 ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   Matt 6:25-34 (NIV)

Interestingly, Jesus responds to His hearers in our verses for today giving them the first of many “I AM” statements presented in John.  “I AM” was the terminology God used to describe Himself to Moses.  Jewish hearers would have known when Jesus used those same words regarding Himself He was equating Himself with God. I thought it would be a wonderful conclusion to our discussion today to list some of the “I AM” statements found in John and what they perhaps mean to Jesus’ followers – or at least to this follower!

John 6:35 

“I am the bread of life.”                                   Jesus is my sustenance, my sufficiency.

John 8:12

 “I am the light of the world.”                          Jesus is my guidance, my direction.

John 10:7

“I am the gate for the sheep.”                         Jesus is my access to the Father.    

John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd.”                               Jesus is my caring protector, my safety.

John 11:25

 “I am the resurrection and the life.”              Jesus is my surety.

John 14:6

“I am the way and the truth and the life.”      Jesus is my eternal counselor.

John 15:1

“I am the true vine.”                                        Jesus is my source, my power.      

What I glean from this:

• I am to seek Jesus’ face before His hand.
• My security is in the presence of the Lord.
• Jesus is my All in All.

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May_24

SHARING BREAD

³² Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

John 6:32-33 (NIV)

In a solemn revelation to His Jewish hearers, Jesus discloses that Moses was only an instrument in God’s hand used to deliver the manna from heaven to their forefathers in the wilderness. God, the supplier of all need, refreshes and satisfies His creatures – it was He who delivered the bread to the wanderers of the wilderness.  God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah:

²⁵ I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”   Jer 31:25 (NIV)

 

In like manner, King David states in Psalm 145:

¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. ¹⁶ You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. ¹⁷ The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. ¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. ¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. ²⁰ The LORD watches over all who love him,   Psalms 145:15-20 (NIV)

 

Satisfaction – is there a better word?  Is there a better state of being?  The definition itself leads us to longing – “to put an end to an appetite or want; to meet the expectations or desires of; to satisfy desires and to gratify feelings” Oxford Dictionary – let’s face it, who does not desire sustained satisfaction?  Unfortunately, we all too often look for it in all the wrong places – roaming from here to there, jumping from bigger to better, seeking, striving, sweating only to be found wanting.        

“The hand of God being my chief provision and storehouse, is it not a shame to be anxiously careful for anything?  Has the Lord all things in his hand?  Then surely I shall receive what he has for me; none will be able to withhold it.  Faith has always a free access to the treasures of God, who is never wanting.  Christians have their chests and treasures in such a high place, even in God, that no thief can rob them, and they are sure to have enough in God; and though the Lord should try them with want a little while, yet he relieves them in due time:  their bread must rain from heaven, rather than they should be left without.  If this does not comfort and strengthen us, nothing else will.”   K.H. Von Bogatzky

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty, Hold me with Thy powerful hand.  Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more; Feed me till I want no more.”  William Williams  

While provision of our earthly needs provided by the Father is profitable, it pales in comparison to the Provision sent for our spiritual needs.  Just as God rained down the manna from heaven sending it forth to temporarily fill the tummies of the wanderers, He sent forth His Son – the true Bread of God – to save all who would believe – permanently.  He made Jesus to be sin for us so that through Jesus we would be rightly restored to relationship with the Father.   Paul tells us:

 ¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.    2 Cor 5:16-21 (NIV)

 

Initiated by God and becoming a reality through the work of our Lord Jesus, it is now possible for human beings to be reconciled to their Maker through faith in Christ.  Once alienated by sin, Christ made peace with God possible for those who would believe in Him when He himself bore our sins upon the cross.  Not only that, Jesus descended from heaven to bestow upon those who would follow hard after Him life effervescent – life to the full – as we walk the dust of this earth. Life to the full, pressed down and brimming over – overflowing our cups; healing us, forgiving our transgressions, setting us upon a Rock and establishing our ways.  Is there anything more we could ask for?  We are certainly the biggest losers when we flippantly disregard what is handed out for us through grace. We find the following in Ephesians:

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   Eph 2:4-10 (NIV)

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.  Romans 5:9-11 (NIV)

²¹ My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.   Psalms 145:21 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

• It is God who sent forth the Bread from heaven.
• Jesus saves my soul.
• Jesus satisfies my soul.

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May_21

SHARING BREAD

³⁰ So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

John 6:30-31 (NIV)

Miracles are the handiwork of God.  Miracles demonstrate to us things that are simply too hard for us to do.  Miracles point us to the Power behind the miracle.  Last evening God did a miraculous display in the skies.  The wind howled, the thunder rolled, the rain poured and the lightening came out of God’s storehouses to display His awesome splendor across the vast horizon.  Trouble was, I just sat down to write this and I was busy!  In less than the time it took for me to set up, my stage completely changed. The forceful wind caused the rain to come in the window directly behind my computer.  As I was getting all the water up a blast of lightening shot through the sky and the Power took my power.  To top it all off, I stepped on my glasses giving them a nice warped look! God was now getting my full attention – He was prepared to teach me a lesson – unfortunately, it takes a lot to get some people’s attention does it not?  The storm subsided yet left my husband and me sitting in the dark.  Like most “young” married couples of 35 years, we simply decided to emulate the Walton’s and go to bed at 8:00!  I am now typing this by flashlight – sans coffee – at 5:00 AM which, for those who know me well know, is as great a miracle as the Red Sea parting!  All I ask is to have mercy on my typos!

We humans are always looking for the miraculous signs and wonders are we not?  We choose to see before we believe.  Trouble is, the walk of faith is often to believe and then we see.  I am reminded of the definition of faith given to us by the writer of Hebrews:

¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.   Heb 11:1-2 (NIV)

Indeed, through the great Hall of Fame chapter of faith in Hebrews 11 we see the words, “By faith” over and over again before the ancient’s name and action.  God writes the following commendation regarding these saints of the past:

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.   Heb 11:13-16 (NIV)

I particularly love the last sentence in the above passage –“God is not ashamed to be called their God”.  Is that not the most glorious thing to have said about a human sojourner?  Longing for their heavenly home of which their eyes had not seen nor their ears had heard, God gives them a heavenly high five in holy writ.  They believed God and He credited that faith to them as righteousness.  When we believe something we act on it.  Our thinking or beliefs models our actions – as one thinks, so they go.  Paul emphasizes the importance of our thoughts when he tells us:

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.   2 Cor 10:5 (NIV)

Our thoughts are to be properly and appropriately transformed and renewed through the Word of God.  We are told in Romans the following Truth regarding our minds:

² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2 (NIV)

The crowds in our verses for today wanted to see more of a miraculous display of God’s splendor for them to believe.  While the miraculous gets our attention, it is not our sufficiency.  Like these crowds, we often come away craving more.  The Jews were always looking for the miraculous sign while the gentiles sought wisdom.  Scripture tells us:

 ²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Cor 1:20-25 (NIV)

Jesus – the power of God and the wisdom of God – our Savior, Sufficiency and Strength – to Him be glory and honor and majesty.

What I glean from this:

• Miracles are God’s handiwork pointing me to His power and majesty.  They are things too hard for me to do.
• The order of the walk of faith often calls me to believe and then see.
• I am to renew my mind on God’s Word.

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May_19

SHARING BREAD

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6:28-29 (NIV)

Our verses for today demonstrate the willingness of the crowd to know and to do their duty regarding the requirements of God.  They were totally convinced this “everlasting food” Jesus had spoken of would be theirs at the completion of such works.  They presented both a serious and humble question in response to Jesus’ Words – willing to do the work; they now sought to know what the work was:

²⁷ “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”  John 6:27 (NIV)

 

“It is not a question of our equipment but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us.”    Oswald Chambers

I can so relate to their enquiry and am fairly confident I am in good company!  We are such a works oriented culture are we not?  Ever pushing ourselves to do more and more – get up earlier, stay up later, push, push, push, work, work, work, do, do, do.   We even come back from our vacations needing respite!  Sometimes I wonder what underlying factor propels our motivation towards this frenzied lifestyle – pride, insecurity, a continual lust for more, greed, power, selfishness, a desire to blend, a desire to stand out – you fill in the blank.  I know what it definitely is not – it is not God’s requirement for our salvation.  Scripture tells us:

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.   Eph 2:8-9 (NIV)

 

Jesus gives the crowds an answer quite contrary to their works oriented thinking.  Our works will never be good enough because flawed people do flawed works – simply put, we lack.  Scripture tells us the following Truths:

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,   Romans 3:23 (NIV)

 

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

 

This is why we need a Savior; we simply cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.   Jesus tells us in our verses for today:  “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Do we believe in the One He has sent?   It is God that does the work of faith; the one thing necessary for us is that we believe or trust in the One He has sent.  Jesus, sent from the Father full of grace and Truth, came to seek and to save that which was lost – which is everyone, by the way, apart from Christ:

¹⁰ “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”   Luke 19:9-10 (NIV)

While grace is lavishly and freely poured out to those who believe, it came as a great cost to God – the cross of Christ was the price of grace.  Sometimes I think we, as modern day believers, have the gift of grace down so good we are trampling upon it.  Grace is not a license for licentious living rather it is the ultimate lesson given in the law of love by our Lord.  It calls every believer to a higher calling through His power.  This love is found in the hearts of those who believe, transformed by the power of the precious indwelling Holy Spirit.    

“There are such difficulties in the way of our salvation as could never be overcome but by that grace of God which is almighty.  ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’ His grace can work on the soul, so as to alter the bent and bias of it, and give it a contrary leaning.”    Matthew Henry

 ¹³ We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷ In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.   1 John 4:13-19 (NIV)

 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.   1 Cor 13:4-8 (NIV)

 

 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  1 Cor 13:13 (NIV)

 “Love Him totally who gave Himself totally for your love.”  Claire of Assisi 

What I glean from this:

• My work of God is to trust in Jesus for my salvation – allowing the Holy Spirit to transform me from the inside out. “It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the gospel. The gospel is not a message about doing things. It is a message about being a new creature.  It speaks to people as broken, fallen sinners who are in need of a new heart. God has given His Son to make us new creatures. God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from inside out. He rejects the man who fasts twice a week and accepts the sinner who cries for mercy.”   Ted Tripp
• Jesus came to seek and to save me.  “Amazing love!  How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”   Charles Wesley
• God is love and I too am to purely love through the power of His Spirit. “He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor.”   Venerable Bede   “The Spirit of God first imparts love.”     D. L. Moody

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May_17

SHARING BREAD

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

John 6:25-27 (NIV)

The “full tummy” crowds diligently sought Christ’s hand albeit looking for loaves in lieu of looking for His love.  Unfortunately, we often approach our Lord in like manner, seeking His hand before we seek His face.  “Meet our needs, Lord”; “Give us this and that, Lord”; “Make us well, Lord”; “Change our circumstances, Lord” and on and on our list goes.  While it is true we certainly need food and drink, health and clothing, our greatest need, by far, is our salvation – found only in Jesus – the Savior of our weary souls.

“My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.”   F. Brook

In our verses for today, Jesus does not condone laziness rather He promotes priorities.  He begins by getting our attention with His words:  “I tell you the truth” – red flagging us, if you will, to take heed of what He was about to say – feed your soul before feeding your stomach.  The prophet Isaiah rightly states:

¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. ² Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. ³ Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.   Isaiah 55:1-3 (NIV)

Indeed, worldly products, power, prestige or privilege – no matter how much we may possess – will never satisfy the thirsty soul – they will always be found wanting.  God tells us through the prophet Haggai:

⁵ Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” ⁷ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁸ Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. ⁹ “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. ¹⁰ Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. ¹¹ I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.”   Hag 1:5-11 (NIV)

 

The Jewish remnant was busy about their personal affairs – each absorbed with their own houses – yet neglecting God’s house.  Interestingly, we are guilty of doing the same today – to our own disservice.  If we are not careful, we too work for food that spoils and not for food that eternally endures.  We are to work first for that “food” which belongs to the soul – being unspeakably desirable and enduring to eternal life.  We should not make the things of this world our chief care and concern.  We often hunger for as food, worldly wealth, honor and pleasure – inordinately laboring after them as our chief good yet all of this will perish in a poof when the fire eventually tests the quality of our work.  Just as the prophet Haggai has told us to “Give careful thought to our ways”, Paul tells us in First Corinthians that we are to be careful how we build upon the foundation of Christ:

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴ If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.   1 Cor 3:10-15 (NIV)

Lastly, we are told that the seal of God’s approval has been placed on Jesus.  As believers in Christ, we too are now marked with the seal of the precious Holy Spirit a loving indication of our security, authentication and approval, certification of genuineness and identification of ownership.  We are God’s temple as God’s Sprit dwells within us.  Paul tells us in Ephesians:

¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.   Eph 1:13-14 (NIV)

“The capital of Heaven is the heart in which Jesus Christ is enthroned as King.”   Sundar Singh

 

What I glean from this:

• I desire to seek Jesus’ face prior to seeking His hand.
• Nothing satisfies like Jesus – He being the ultimate satisfaction of my soul – His pleasures, unearthly.
• I am sealed with the Holy Spirit guaranteeing my inheritance.  

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May_14

SHARING BREAD

²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ²³ Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

John 6:22-24 (NIV)

The crowds, industriously seeking Jesus, were certainly at a loss regarding His whereabouts.   They had watched as He had compelled His disciples to board the boat and head off leaving Him behind.  They had seen Jesus retreating to the mountaintop after dismissing the crowds to go off by Himself to pray.  What they had not been privy to, was the miracle of Jesus’ walking on water – in the middle of the night – in the midst of the wild waves.  Some things Jesus allows only those closest to Him to experience – which could be any of us, by the way, if we are but willing to go further still with Him.  Scripture tells us:

² “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it–the LORD is his name: ³ ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’   Jer 33:2-3 (NIV)

 

There is certain satisfaction to be found in searching for the Savior either for our salvation or for our growing up in Him, who is the Head.  His call is for all to come to Him – the promise being clear for those who seek – they find.  The prophet Jeremiah tells us:

¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.   Jer 29:12-14 (NIV)

 

Just as a little one securely seeks its parents for provision, protection and pleasure, in like manner, God desires for us to ask, seek and knock as well.  Jesus tells us in Matthew:

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!   Matt 7:7-11 (NIV)

The “good gift” mentioned in verse eleven is the Holy Spirit – being, of course, the Ultimate Gift.  Luke confirms this Truth in his gospel:

¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 (NIV)

“We have but to want Him badly enough and He will come and manifest Himself to us.”   A.W. Tozer  

 

Jesus emphasizes to us in the Sermon on the Mount the importance of seeking Him first.  Considering the multitudes of distractions in our day and age, it is good for us to revisit this Truth:

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.   Matt 6:33 (NIV)

“He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.”  A.W. Tozer

Jesus has also promised that He would not leave us as orphans and that He would come to those who had His commands and obeyed them – our love for Jesus being revealed by our obedience to Him.  The effect of having an encounter with Jesus – of nearness to Him – leaves His servant in humility, in happiness and in holiness.   

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”  John 14:15-21 (NIV)

“The Lord Jesus gives special revelations of Himself to his people.  Even if Scripture did not declare this, there are many of the children of God who could testify the truth of it from their own experience.  They have had manifestations of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in a peculiar manner, such as no mere reading or hearing could afford.  In the biographies of eminent saints, you will find many instances recorded in which Jesus has been pleased, in a very special manner to speak to their souls, and to unfold the wonders of His person; yea, so have their souls been steeped in happiness that they have thought themselves to be in heaven, whereas they were not there, though they were well nigh on the threshold of it – for when Jesus manifests Himself to his people, it is heaven on earth; it is paradise in embryo; it is bliss begun.”  C.H. Spurgeon      

What I glean from this:

• I should be diligent in searching for Jesus – asking, seeking, knocking.
• There is certain satisfaction found in searching for the Savior.
• My first priority is to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

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May_12

SHARING BREAD

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

John 6:16-21 (NIV)

Oftentimes, when we read the Scriptures we have a tendency to make the characters a bit superhuman if you will. Now is the time for us to put some flesh and bones on the disciples – putting ourselves in their shoes.  We are told in both the gospels of Matthew and Mark that Jesus compelled His guys – as by authoritative command – to get into the boat and go on ahead of Him as He dismissed the crowds and retreated to the mountainside alone to pray.  Once again our Lord was setting the stage for the miraculous.  From His vantage point on the mountaintop, He had His boys in clear sight.  Matter of fact, comfortingly, like a mother hen, Jesus always has His chicks in full view.

⁹ Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?   Psalms 94:9 (NIV)

 

⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.   2 Chron 16:9 (NIV)

 

He intently looked down upon His struggling disciples – sweat pouring from their brows – as they battled the wind and the waves.  Isn’t it always windy and aren’t the waters terribly rough in the absence of our Jesus?  We struggle in our own power at the oars, right into the wind, while the troubles of this world – like waves – come crashing into our boats, simply getting us nowhere fast.  I am reminded of the wonderful promise of our Lord:

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   John 16:33 (NIV)

 

Peace comes not with the absence of trouble but with the presence of Jesus.  Seeing their need, Jesus avails Himself albeit in a very unusual way.  Our Lord was, once again, about to do the miraculous – He sets out on foot yet not on land.  Walking upon the water, He approaches the weary rowers sending shudders up their spines and fleshing out the words found in Job:

⁸ He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.   Job 9:8 (NIV)

 

Can you even imagine the disciples fear as they faintly see an approaching figure walking on the water towards them?  They cannot run because they would sink; there was no escaping as the winds and waves had them stuck and now this ghostlike appearance was heading straight for them to do who knows what!  I am pretty confident their hearts were in their throats!  Whenever a strong likelihood of something very unwelcomed or unpleasant over which I have no control (do I ever?) occurs in my circumstances, I often go into a state of frozen fear!  Always wonderful, particularly at a time like this, to have Philippians 4:6-7 stored in our hearts.  When we need it the most, we either a) don’t have our Bibles or b) perhaps have them but could not immediately find the verses much less see to read them anyway!

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Phil 4:6-7 (NIV)

Let me just tell you that that “anything” found in verse six includes being stranded in the center of a windy and wavy lake in the middle of the night being approached by a ghostlike figure!  In fact, it includes “anything” you want to put in there.  “Anything” is, quite frankly, any and every thing.  The glorious remainder of the verses teaches us how to effectively deal with our states of frozen fears when our circumstances become anything but welcomed – pray and petition with thanksgiving, presenting our requests.  As we approach God, requesting an answer for a specific need, with a thankful attitude in our hearts, the peace of God will flood our troubled souls.  Our Lord Jesus is our peace:

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace   Eph 2:14 (NIV)

For the child of the King, all of our circumstances are allowed for our good – even the most frightful and trying ones.  As we lean into Him, He will always show Himself faithful.  I am reminded of a wonderful example found in the book A Chance to Die on the life of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot.  The situation was dire.  The enemy struck the little company of Dohnavur where Amy was ministering in an orphanage.  It was a triple attack.  Amy became severely ill and had to retreat for respite in a more civilized environment leaving one worker, Ponnammal, alone with sixteen babies.  A particular viral form of dysentery swept through the nursery in Amy’s absence.  One baby with dysentery was a full time job and now Ponnammal found herself with sixteen.  The following is what she wrote to Amy:

“All is windy about us now, but the wind will not last always.  The waves beat into our boat; but when the Lord says, Peace, be still, they will lie down.  Let all your prayer for us be that we may rest in the will of God while the wind lasts.”  

 

“Jesus stays with me” wrote Ponnammal.

 

What I glean from this:

• Jesus’ eye is always on me.
• I am promised troubles in this world.
• Jesus is my peace in my troubles.  When I am willing, Jesus is immediate.

    

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May_10

SHARING BREAD

¹⁴ After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

John 6:14-15 (NIV)

Popularity and the pandering praise of people did not procure the kingship of the “Prophet who is to come into the world” as the people had hoped.  We are about to learn a lesson from our Savior today that perhaps many of us need a better grasp of:  the way of the crown is through the way of the cross.  It was true for Jesus and it is true for His followers as well.  Each gospel presents us with its own version of the following Truth – red flagging it, if you will, to demonstrate its importance:

 ²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.   Luke 9:23-24 (NIV)

Simply put, as believers – we live to die, we die to live – just as our Savior did.  Interestingly, it is in our dying that we discover life that is truly life.

“When God calls a man, he bids him come and die.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 (NIV)

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.   1 Tim 6:17-19 (NIV)

The Jews were expecting a Prophet who would show forth the finger marks of God.  Having miraculously fed the 5,000 +, the people rightly presumed that Jesus was their Man.  We find the prophecy in Deuteronomy:

¹⁵ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.   Deut 18:15 (NIV)

 

¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. ¹⁹ If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.   Deut 18:18-19 (NIV)

 

The Jews were in hopes that Jesus would be the One to lead them out of their bondage to the Romans.  They were expecting a king with outward pomp and splendor.  They had a misguided view of Christ’s kingdom.  Christ had served their purposes by filling their stomachs and now they prostituted their religion for secular sake by seeking Jesus for what His hand would provide rather than simply seeking Jesus – Jesus is often sought for something other than for Himself.  While it is both true that He was the Prophet to come and that He would also lead His people out of bondage – it was not quite the way they had planned. They were expecting a King that would conquer and rule.  They neglected the prophecy regarding the “suffering servant” which the prophet Isaiah had predicted:

³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV)

 

Jesus’ popularity was at its peak.  The people were seriously seeking to make Him King.  This had to have been a tempting plan for our Lord.  If that cup could have been removed sans the cross and accomplished the purposes of God for which He came, I am pretty confident Jesus would have been all for it.  Yet the price of the kingdom was the cost of the cross.  Before He could be the reigning Lion He must first be the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world for the sins of the people.  How easy it would have been to have gone the path of popularity.  How easy it is for us to do likewise.  It is here that our example is set by our Savior – He withdraws by Himself to the mountain – to converse freely with His Father – leaving us with a wonderful testimony against ambition and affection for worldly honor.       

What I glean from this:

• The way of the crown for me is through the way of the cross.
• It is God’s desire for me to die to my will and live for His through the power of the Spirit.  This is for my good and His glory.  It is also how I take hold of the life that is truly life.  I am the loser when I do not take Him up on His offer.
• Jesus sets the example for me against worldly ambition and vain conceits.  This world is passing away – why should I waste my efforts on what is not eternal – why should I waste my longings and desires on the trivial?  ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.   2 Peter 3:10-13 (NIV)

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