Monday, December 17, 2012

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Monday, December 17, 2012       The Miracles of the Loaves and Fishes  

Page 129-130         Matthew 14:13b-23; Mark 6:30-46; Luke 9:10-17;

John 4:6-17a

Jesus fed a multitude with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. This miracle offers us two compelling opportunities for deeper meditation. The first concerns the miracle; the second concerns the response of the people.

The miracle of the loaves and fishes is included in all four Gospels and the words that Jesus used were later incorporated in the church’s sacrament of Holy Communion: Jesus ‘took the bread’, ‘blessed it’, ‘broke it’, and ‘gave it’. Jesus “kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people” (Luke 9:16). He gave a piece of the bread to the disciples, they distributed it to as many people as they could, then they came back to Jesus and got another piece of bread. The disciples kept coming back to Jesus.

Our natural tendencies are to try to solve our problems the best we can. Perhaps we pray first and ask God to bless our efforts, or maybe even ask God for wisdom, but then we launch into trying to fix whatever it is that is broken. This miracle gives us insight into making the life in Christ our way of life. First, there are some practical, logical things I can and should do, like Jesus organizing the very large group into more manageable parts. Secondly, I am called to live by faith. Living by faith is remembering that I can do all things by God’s power within me.  It also means exercising diligence in prayer and in studying God’s word to discern God’s supernatural presence in meeting my needs. God does not intend for me to go it alone. Seeking the God of miracles is as much a part of the life of a disciple as is seeking to be a good, moral person. Living by faith means going back to Jesus, over and over and over again, so he can give me more bread. 

God’s Messiah is a specific person with a specific mission. The miracles of Jesus were not just signs of his superhuman powers. They were signs that he was the Messiah, announcing the Kingdom of God was breaking through to the world. When people are only looking to Jesus for what Jesus can do for them, for Jesus to take care of their fears, pain, and discomfort, they are not seeing Jesus as he is: the Messiah. The Apostle John said when he saw Jesus as he is, “I fell at his feet as if I were dead” (Revelation 1:17). When you see Jesus as he is, you can no longer be self-centered. You become Christ-centered.

When I am self-centered, my loyalties can be turned in any direction that offers less pain, less fear, more perceived abundance. When I am Christ-centered, my loyalties are firmly established in God’s Kingdom. When I am self-centered, I seek God’s blessings. When I am Christ-centered, I seek to Glorify God by being a blessing to others.

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Tuesday, December 18, 2012      Peter and I Walked on Water      

Page 130-131         Matthew 14: 24-36; Mark 6:47-56; John 6:17b-21