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Last Published: 10/27/2008 6:11:44 AM
March 2008
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 4:50PM EST on March 26, 2008
Good Morning Church
(John 6:22-27)
22The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of
the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one
whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his
disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
23(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place
where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
24When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his
disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for
Jesus.
25And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
Jesus was like celebrity. He couldn't make a move hardly without the
paparazzi taking note. The crowds realized that there was only one
boat. They knew that the disciples left without Jesus, but they were
confused as to how Jesus disappeared completely.
Finally it
occurred to them that where ever the disciples were, that that is
likely where the Lord would show up. So as more ships came to that
place where the miracle of the loaves had occurred, the crowds boarded
ships and sailed over to Capernaum to look for Jesus among the
disciples. And sure enough, there he was. So they asked him how in the
world he got there.
26Jesus answered them and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the
miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Jesus responds by bypassing their question and going directly to the
heart of the matter. He discerns that they didn't really want to know
how he got there, nor did they follow because they wanted to fellowship
with him or to build relationship with him. Jesus knew that they were
only following him for a free ride, to sponge off of the food that he
somehow provides every time there is a need. They had witnessed and
experienced for themselves that the people that linger in the presence
of Jesus, want for nothing. They cared nothing for him, they just
wanted a free meal.
We see this everywhere in America today, so many people wanting to follow a free meal.
There are help wanted signs and job opportunities every where in this
country. Do something, work somewhere, and seek the free to supplement.
But to do nothing to better yourself or to help with the provision of
your needs is lame.
6In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who
is idle and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received
from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.
We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone's food
without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day,
laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in
order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we
were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall
not eat."
11We hear that some among you are idle. They are
not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the
Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13And as
for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
14If
anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note
of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.
15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. (2 Thess 3)
Somewhere along the way, the church has adopted the philosophy that
Christians should be freely manipulated by those that choose to be
idle, that we are obligated to give to anyone that asks and require
nothing from them. But when we adopt such philosophy, we actually abuse
them and all who labor overtime to multiply the supplies. We feed their
sin and allow them to grow fat with it, rather than challenging them to
better themselves. We should offer a measure of help, lavishly generous
at first, but always leading to building up their character and
integrity. Personal accountability as they become healthy and whole in
Christ. That is Godly kindness, that is true discipleship, that is
genuine love.
Somewhere along the line we have seen it as
cruel to allow someone to be ashamed of their sin and sloth and
laziness. But the actual cruelty is nurturing them in it until they
become so obese with excuse (justification of their sin) that they die
in it.
How is that helping them, how is that being like
Christ to them? Since when is letting them feed like a tick until they
pop from their greed and selfishness the definition of kindness and
love?
The church has allowed the world and the enemy and
our own sin to redefine the fundamentals of our faith and the teachings
of the word of God. Just like our constitution and marriage and every
principle of our nation is slowly being rewritten. And the result?...
we as a people grow fatter and distracted and stressed and enslaved as
we run on that hamster wheel that we have been manipulated to believe
is simply life. The only hope for our nation is to turn it's heart back
to God and Godly principles.
Cleansing begins in the house of the Lord, among the people of God, you and me.
It's time for the church to take back the principles of God and to define them according to his word.
Good Morning Church... the alarm is ringing, the blanket has been
jerked back, your feet are on the floor and it's cold. But there is a
new day ahead of you and the sun is bright and encouraging. So rub your
eyes, stand and stretch, or whatever it is you do as you wake up after
a long dark night...
go to the bathroom, shower, wash your
face, brush your teeth, get dressed, primp in your mirror, have your
coffee/breakfast, whatever you do to get it in gear to get out the
door...
and get to work.
27Labour not for
the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto
everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God the Father sealed.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 12:18PM EST on March 20, 2008
Behold the Brain Cramp
(John 6:16-21)
16And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
17And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
18And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
So Jesus has retreated alone up in the mountain. He is gone so long
that the day is ending and it's starting to get dark. The disciples go
down to the shore and pile in a boat and set sail. But suddenly a big
wind started to blow, which usually happens as a storm blows in. I've
heard that this region was known for sudden and violent storms that
would blow up on the water ways, which was pretty treacherous in those
days. Though many of the disciples were experienced fishermen and very
familiar with the storms on the seas of that region, it remained a
challenge and threat to maneuver thu such storms.
I wonder
why they would set sail without the Lord. Why did they not hang around
and wait for him to come down from the mountain? For some reason, they
were very comfortable with leaving him behind. Somehow they knew where
they were going and that the Lord would catch up with them at some
point. Maybe they discussed their destination earlier, idk. But they
could have never guessed exactly how the Lord would catch up to them.
It was pretty crazy as we're about to see in the next few verses.
19So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they
see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they
were afraid.
It's dark, the sea is violent as a storm is
blowing up. There is so much unknown about the sea and spooky stories
always develop about the unknown... stories of ghosts and sea monsters
and such. They are maneuvering for their lives, and suddenly they see a
human form walking across the water toward them. Were they wrong to be
afraid? I don't think so. It's a natural human reaction to fear the
unknown. It is only as we develop maturity in Christ, that we are more
able to control such fear.
20But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
I love that Jesus tells them not to be afraid. Every time I hear him
say that in Scripture, it's a huge flag that something is happening so
that it is perfectly logical to be afraid according to the natural,
physical world around us. So yeah, first reaction is understandably
fear.
Some people teach that it is a rebuke when Jesus
tells his disciples not to fear in the Bible. But I don't think that's
always the case. I think sometimes it is a rebuke, when they are being
wimps or babies like we can be at times. But quite often, I think he
says it more to comfort and encourage them (encourage: to instill
courage, or to cause someone to have courage). This I think is one of
those times. I think it was a lesson in courage in several ways. One
was to not be afraid of the storm that was upon them, but more in this
moment I think it was to not be afraid as the extent of who Christ is
was revealed to them.
You see, the more you're around
someone, the more they let their guard down and they are able to be
themselves. I think that that happened with the disciples and Christ as
well. He couldn't just drop the veil suddenly and completely or they
would be blinded and unable to see him at all. But Christ in his wisdom
allowed them to see the extent of who he was little by little. If
you're gonna hang around someone, their character is gonna start
shining through more and more. With every miracle, with every action
that wielded authority over the physical world, the disciples were
understanding more and more that this was not just a man. They were
recognizing things in Jesus that set him apart and above, that revealed
his person as God himself. Not just from one declaration, but by being
exposed to the whole package glimpse by glimpse.
Relationship is something that grows... as they developed more personal
and solid relationship with Christ by hanging out with him, their
understanding of who he is grew along with their affection for him.
What a beautiful thing. We often struggle with the simplicity of our
relationship with Christ at times. I think we try to complicate it,
when all we really need to do is to hang out with him, eat with him,
talk with him, listen to him, develop relationship with him by constant
interaction in every day stuff. In those moments is when we truly
witness his character, his goodness, his person.
Some big
revelation is not always the best way to build that intimate bond with
someone... more often it comes through the mundane experiences of life
that we trudge through together, over time. It is often the small and
quiet moments that lead to circumstances that require character to
shine though what is seen in the physical. As that character shines
through from those inward places, from the deep places that were
seemingly insignificant a moment ago, that's the true taste-test. That
is the cement, the glue, the definition of who each of us is as
individuals and as one in relationship.
There is no way to
have an authentic relationship with Christ without eventually realizing
that he is beyond just a man... he is divine, he is set apart, he is
something other than, he is God... at the very same time that he is
Friend.
That's something that everyone wants to put into
words, but such a thing simply can't be boxed up nice and neat like
that. It's kinda mind-boggling how that the most simple Truth in the
universe is so beyond description or a formula. How brilliant of our
God to design such a safe-guard for the core of all that is precious.
So simple a concept that even a child can accept and embrace it, yet
kept beyond the reach of the intelligent and arrogant who would try to
reason it into something that it is not. It is something that must be
experienced to be understood. You can hear about someone elses
experience, but until you've encountered Christ for yourself and spent
some significant, intimate time with him... you will never truly know
him or the simplicity of how real he is.
21Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
I can just see their faces at first glance, white with fear, drenched
with sea-water, squinting and struggling to make sure that they were
really seeing what they thought they were seeing. The gasp that must
have escaped from their lips as they saw the figure approaching their
boat, the realization that there was no escape and that they were about
to encounter something from the spooky unknown, from the spirit
netherlands, from something beyond their limited understanding. They
braced themselves with baited breath, or stilled breath perhaps, not
knowing if this being would be friend or foe.
And then came the voice of Jesus...
And the fear of the unknown must have given way to a tremendous brain
cramp as confusion set in. Could it be? If it is, then we have no
reason to fear. But if it is, and he is doing things so very
impossible, perhaps there is reason to fear? Their minds must have
raced, as their breath returned slow and deep as wonder overcame
confusion, and questions out-ruled disbelief. And then suddenly he was
upon them, at the boat, face to face, and it was him, they recognized
him.
It was Jesus, their friend, their companion, their
teacher, the man, one of them. And they immediately reached out to help
him into the boat. Can't you just see them staring at him, frozen in
awe, the water dripping from their hair and soaking their faces as they
looked at him face to face, blinking, unable to even attempt to find
the words to ask the many questions that filled their thoughts. In that
moment of wonder, they were suddenly at the shore on the other side and
all fear was gone.
Makes you wonder if "be not afraid" was
an encouragement, a training session, or the Lord taking authority over
the enemy's attempt to fill them with fear and doubt. Perhaps all three
and much more.
Sometimes I think we get glimpses of who God
is not because he wants to pull the veil back a little more to impress
us or to cause us to worship him a little more. Sometimes I think he's
just being himself and he just can't help it when miraculous things
happen. I think goodness and the miraculous are like an aroma that just
permeates from God, and the more we're around him, the more we notice
and witness about who he truly is. When we hang out with him or around
him, miracles are gonna happen. It's just his nature, who he is. He
breathes in and with every breath he breathes out... the blessings and
gifts of God bloom and multiply. I believe that that's the honey that
Scripture describes... that golden sweetness that drips from the lips
of a lover, from their words, from the nature of who they are, that
cause us to passionately desire them... it is that Goodness that causes
us to crave His words and His affection.
The goodness of
God fills the air, the universe, in heaven and in the earth. No matter
our situation, no matter the hardship we may be facing, no matter the
darkness of the day or the night... his goodness is available and
present and performing the miraculous... because he is here... with
us... he has promised that nothing will separate us from his
presence... that is the blessing and the power that Christ died to
share with us... that is what he purchased... that is salvation from
all that harms... justice, the righting of wrongs, healing,
restoration, cleansing of sin, freedom in Christ... His presence, his
beauty, his goodness... he is the center, the source, the heart, the
life... of all that is good and strong and full of glory.
We stare blankly when we witness it, almost in shock, confusion gives
way to wonder, which causes us to gasp in awe, to fall in love with
him, to accept his proposal, to passionately return his affection, to
praise him, to worship the One True God, the author, Creator, Beautiful
One.
God is with us... there is no greater Truth,
there is no greater love <3
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:55PM EST on March 14, 2008
"MARRY ME," God.
(John 6:12-15)
12When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
The first little styrofoam take home containers, how funny ^_^
And here we see a very key statement made by Christ in gathering up the
fragments so that none are lost or wasted. Even in times of miracles or
in times of abundance, we are to be wise and good stewards of the
blessing. They could have left the fragments and thought, "wow, we're
really worn out from all the excitement, surely someone will gather up
what's left and it won't go to waste."
But Christ wanted
them to understand the importance of insuring things were handled
correctly down to the smallest task. They were to ensure oversight for
every detail, much like an accountant must account for every penny when
keeping the books. The blessings of God are to be treasured and never
taken for granted in any way, never wasted, never handled sloppily or
slothfully or gluttonously.
Waste not, Want not... I believe is what they used to say.
Those old-timers, the elderly, that gray and decrepid generation may
actually be wiser than this generation gives them credit for. Maybe
they're not so old-fashioned and out-dated and non-relevant as the
cutting edge emergent church seems to think. Maybe the wisdom of God
can actually be learned from their cheesey quotes and their demands for
diligence and excellence.
Maybe they should be seen more as reflections of Christ, than stuffy old men and bitter old women.
Maybe they know a little more than trendy church movements give them credit for.
Maybe the younger generation would have spouted off some complaint of how unnecessary it was to gather up the fragments.
Maybe it was the faith and diligence and willingness to be called
stuffy that caused former generations to propel this generation forward
to this time of harvest in the church.
Maybe it was their blood and sweat that watered the ground for the contemporary church.
Maybe it was their fasting and prayer and sacrifice that nourished the
soil and kept it a healthy place, despite the pollution of this world
that fought so violently against them.
Maybe it was their courage
to fall on their face and then get back up again that tilled the land
and provided an inheritance at all, an inheritance for the emergent
church to enter into as their own.
Maybe it was their bodies
strewn and stacked high that lifted this generation up before the Lord
so that his favor would be poured out upon them.
Maybe...
13Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with
the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above
unto them that had eaten.
Anything God touches doesn't
just meet the need -- it OVERFLOWS with blessing, every time, without
fail. God touches something with his fingertip and good things ripple
from it for miles and miles beyond the present need. He breathes on one
speck of dust and an entire world and universe is warmed by his
affection and his nurturing love. One drop of God's favor can move
mountains of opposition against you. One sparkle of his gaze in your
direction can light up the deepest darkness of the deepest valley. We
will never fully grasp the extent of his greatness or the privilege of
being loved and favored by him. And yet, despite our small mindedness
and our lack of awe and appreciation for his majesty... he remains with
us, working all things for our good, showering his mercy on us in our
ugliness and selfishness, hoping for us, changing us, guiding us,
training us to be beautiful, to be heirs of royalty, to be married to
Christ Jesus, sons and daughters of the Almighty God.
We are privileged beyond anything we could possibly deserve.
How dare we fail to love and appreciate and honor and respect and rejoice in his presence?
When he enters the room we should melt with affection, our thoughts
should constantly hover around his goodness and his beauty and his
power, we should always be craving his touch and excited by his
forcefulness, our love should be forever submitted and obedient and
giving and passionate and fully intimate... he is our lover, our heart,
our soul, our joy, our very breath. That is how he loves us -- with
excitement and zeal and completeness.
To take such love for granted is beyond understanding.
And yet, we do so often.
Forgive us Lord.
Help us.
14Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said,
This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
15When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by
force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone.
I love that Jesus recognized the motives of men,
and that he included this passage to teach us a glaring contrast
concerning the affections of men. These men were caught up in the
greatness and the glory and wanted someone or something to worship for
it's power alone. They were not concerned about the will or plan of
God. They thought it would be a privilege for Christ if they chose to
worship him.
How backward.
It is our great privilege to worship God, not the other way around.
How just like the enemy to reverse or twist what is good and beautiful
into something evil and grotesque. It was not the power and the praise
for the sake of praise that Christ desired. He had that in heaven. He
loves it when we praise him, but he wants so much more than just our
praise. He wants our affection, our heart, our love. Our expression of
praise is born out of our understanding of who he is, out of our
relationship with him, out of our intimate interaction and fellowship
and communing together about the things that are most important to him
and to us.
He wasn't looking for us to make him King and
set him up like the other stone idols mankind has worshiped in the
past. He wanted us to see him. Just like it is so important to us that
he see us.
God wants us to see him as one.
All the things about him that are so beautiful and good, all rolled up into the persons that he is.
You can't wrap your mind around that fully, so don't try, but you can glimpse it.
When our spouse looks at us, we don't want him to worship some part of
our body that he likes so that all he sees in us or all that he does
for us is centered around that one attribute. We want him to look above
our neck line. We want him to see into our eyes, to hear our soul, to
touch and caress out heart. We want him to love the smell of our hair,
the curve of our body, the crookedness of our toes, the scars on our
belly from carrying his child, the quirky way we dress, our cheesey
high pitch laugh or squeal, the way we pout and then finally seek to
understand his heart, our love for him that consumes us and causes us
to sacrifice every selfish desire, our hunger for him, our need of
him...
We want him to see us,
to love all of us,
as a whole package,
as the one unique individual that we are.
God is no different.
He wants us to love him for every amazing facet of who he is.
And yet, he wants us to see his One-ness,
the whole package,
God.
Not some idol dancing on a pole or some intricately carved stone that looks really cool.
He wants something real with us, something gritty, that will grip and hold on,
Something that will last.
Something that will affect us and him.
More than just a wedding,
He wants a Marriage,
a Bride,
a help-meet,
a companion,
a family...
children.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:02PM EST on March 4, 2008
Hey, take this test
(John 6:1-11) KJV
1After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
The incident in the previous chapter took place in Jerusalem near the
sheep gate. Which was interesting in itself, because that is the
entrance where the sheep were bought in for sacrifice. Here we see that
Jesus left that place and traveled over the sea of Galilee. Because of
the miracle at the sheep gate and the many other diseased people that
Christ had healed, crowds of people followed him across the sea. Some
came to witness the miracles and to decide who this guy was that had
such power... others came because they were sick or had a sick loved
one that needed healing.
3And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
They cross the sea and get to the land on the other side (not sure
where at the moment) but the point is that Jesus withdraws up into a
mountain. The crowds seem to be left to camp at the base while the
disciples accompany Jesus for a training session. They all sit down on
the mountain and begin to talk with each other.
4And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
5When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto
him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat?
6And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
We are told that passover was approaching, and we know that there must
be a passover meal that takes place. On the side of the mountain, they
could see the huge crowds that had followed them and camped at the base
below. Jesus looked at the people and then turned to Philip and asked
how they could get some bread to feed the people for the passover. The
Bible clearly tells us that Jesus already knew that he was going to
perform a miracle and multiply the bread, but he was testing Philip.
Would Philip respond with hopelessness, with impossibilities, with the
obvious response, by stating the facts of the matter... or would he see
the need, be moved with compassion because of it, realize who was
asking him such a question, and be paying close enough attention to
realize that Jesus could make it happen despite the appearance of
things? Would he get the point of the lesson that in the midst of
hopelessness, Jesus is our hope?... Jesus will not fail us, he will do
something... whether the answer is something simple that we overlooked
or even if the miraculous is necessary.
7Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
So here is Philip's response... we don't have the money, and even if we
spent all the money we have it still wouldn't be enough to feed all of
them... so he was still caught up in the appearance of things. He was
still not in the mindset to remember who Christ is and to hope for the
impossible. Rather than resolving that it was an impossible task...
Philip should have looked to Jesus, even if Jesus had not performed a
miracle, Philip should have taken more time to discern the point that
Christ was trying to make. Don't be ruled by this world in any way...
but be led by the Spirit of God.
Andrew overheard the
conversation as they spoke openly, and the wheels in his little brain
begin to turn. He is the first of the disciples that begins to glimpse
that having Jesus in the mix changes everything... he understands the
process of looking at what is at hand and then looking to Jesus for
direction. Andrew's discernment is awakened and has begun to take baby
steps toward the Truth.
He thinks, hmmm... "we need
bread... alot of it." And he realizes that the loaves of this little
boys lunch are all they have. He toddles a couple steps in the right
direction, then BAM! he plops down on his pampers and succumbs to the
natural laws of this world. The result is that he takes his eyes off of
Christ and wonders at the impossibility of the situation rather than
the hope that Christ is wanting them to glimpse.
And we
thought that Peter walking on the water was the first time that one of
the disciples had struggled to learn to walk by faith ^_^
By the time Peter got out on the water, he had reached a place where he
was willing to risk his life to trust Christ... but he still didn't
quite get the process of taking his eyes off of the workings and
regulations of this world and keeping them focused on Christ above all
else. Gravity is not in control unless Christ says it is in that
moment. If Christ over rules gravity, gravity must let go. All
authority in heaven and in earth belongs to Christ. He sets it to run
it's course in order, but he commands it as he wills -- and it must
yield and obey whatever God commands.
That was the test of
Philip and Andrew and Peter and this group of disciples as they were
separated from the crowds for Bible study... would they look to Christ
first above all else realizing that everything in heaven and in earth
runs according to a natural order ordained by God, but that it remains
submissive to the will of God to change at any moment.
Basically, that Jesus Christ is God and God is in control.
10And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in
the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he
distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set
down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
And so Bible Study continues.... Jesus begins by posing a question all
the while knowing the answer. The disciples/students weigh what they
understand according to the rules and regulations of the world around
them... all the while knowing and sensing that there is something more.
Answering to the best of their ability with answers that they had been
taught in their childhood and adulthood up unto this moment. But
thinking out loud as they try to get their brain in tune with the
stirring that is taking place in their spirits.
Jesus
proceeds by preparing to reveal the answer to the question. But he
doesn't stand up and run the show to prove his power and absolute
authority (we could learn much from this example)... he tells them to
strap on their goggles and he directs them as they walk thru the
experiment. Jesus touches the supplies at hand, he gives thanks to the
Father in his humility and in complete submission to the will of the
God-head (Father, Son and Spirit). Then he hands it off to the
disciples/students not so they can do the dirty work of digging the
ditch or cleaning the bathroom... he hands it off so they can get
dirty, so when it's all said and done they will have played a part,
they will feel the thrill of the kingdom of God because they helped in
the labor of it.
But they didn't get that at first.
When Christ posed the question, their brows were furrowed and their
eyes asked questions of their own. They stood when he handed them the
bread and they took it in obedience still forcing their bodies to move
as though groping thru a dark room. They had still not seen the Light.
They were still searching for understanding and trying to see beyond
the shadows of this world. But Christ was about to enlighten them, he
was walking them thru this whole process, this test, to help them flip
the switch of their own understanding. That is something no one can do
for you, not even God, you have to weigh it all and decide if you want
to receive the Light in the darkness of your thoughts and your heart.
I'm sure the disciples felt slightly foolish as they took those scraps
of bread and fish and turned to hand it off to the first couple of
people they approached. What an example of faith! Our minds seldom
understand the mind of God... but when we force our bodies to obey him,
miracles happen. If you are a believer, if you walk by faith as you
follow Christ, you've been there. You know exactly what I'm talking
about don't you. How often Christ leads us into things or requires
things of us that we simply don't understand (sometimes painful
things), and we go because we trust that he has ordained our steps and
that he is in control. We force ourselves sometimes to obey, our bodies
and our minds fight violently against what he is calling us to perform,
and yet we go, we walk the walk no matter the risk, no matter the pain,
no matter the questions. That's the stuff. That's the place where
miracles meet us face to face.
We will never know what the
miracle of the loaves and fishes looked like, or how the process
actually happened, until we are face to face with those who were
actually there. But somewhere in the mix, it became undeniable that a
miracle was happening as the bread and the fish never ran out. Perhaps
it was handed out so quickly as the crowds reached out and pressed in
upon each disciple that they themselves were somewhat unsure of how it
happened exactly. It doesn't really matter as to the how.. the fact
remains that it happened.
Faith that Jesus Christ is God and has all authority in heaven and in earth...
Obedience to all that he speaks even when we do not understand it all,
even when it goes against all that we understand in this life and in
this world...
Trust that whatever the outcome, God is in control and good things will always result...
Choose to follow Christ, take the risk, bust those pampers, learn to
toddle, fall, get up, get in the boat, get out of the boat, walk on the
water, sink, hear the leading of the Lord, reach up, get your eyes back
on him, open your big mouth and mess up, learn grace, be restored, tell
of his goodness, learn to be led by his Spirit, and then be and do the
miracles.
Believe and keep moving toward Christ no matter what,
that's the test.
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