John 6:1-15 - Having Faith When You Have Little

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

John 6:5-6

The story of Jesus and the multiplication of loaves and fishes is one of the most well known stories in scripture. The story is the only miracle in all four Gospels and is often referred to as a story of faith. The disciples were freaking out - yes that is a theological term - about the thousands of people that came to hear Jesus speak. They were freaking out - not because of the number of people who came to hear him preach; this was a pretty regular occurrence - because Jesus asked the disciples, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5)


Let's put ourselves in the disciples sandals for a moment....
This man, whom you had seen accomplish dozens of miracles and preach with amazingly divine conviction, looks to you and says, "You want to throw a party?"


Now if I had been a disciple, my first thought would have been just like the disciples. My Master wants to throw a party so we need to figure out how we are going to do it. Then my second thought would have been much like the practical Phillip, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:6)


Now, I wish I would have been a little more like Andrew, Peter's brother, who didn't ask "How?", but rather went Jesus with the resources he had available to him and offered those resources to Jesus. 

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” 

John 6:8-9

Andrew didn't question Jesus's motives in wanting to feed the crowd. He didn't question how Jesus would throw the party. He went to Jesus with what he had and offered them to Jesus. Andrew wasn't perfect - I think a detect a little doubt in his voice - but he was faithful.

Just as Andrew approached Jesus with what he had to offer, and trusted that Jesus would make the most of this offering, we too need to go to Jesus with everything we have to offer him and allow Jesus to create the miracle.

Maybe you think you don't have anything to offer because you are too young. Or maybe you think that you are too old. Or maybe you think you do not have enough talents. Or maybe you think you have sinned too much. Or maybe....

There are A LOT of maybe's in this world.  We could be crippled by the maybe's and the doubts in our lives. Jesus doesn't expect us to create enough food for 5,000 out of two fish and five loaves of bread, but he does expect us to take our fish and our loaves - whatever form they might come in - to him and allow him to perform the miracle. 

When we take Jesus all we have to offer we will be amazed and what he will do. And there will be such an abundance we won't know what to do with it.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

John 6:12-13

^{Scripture of the Day}

^John6:1-15 

^{Quote of the Day}

Don't believe in miracles - depend on them.
Laurence J. Peter 

Question of the Day

When was the last time you believed God would show up BIG?

Sorry we haven't had a blog in awhile. Thank you for your patience and grace while I have been wrapping up some projects! 

Don't Forget AUGUST 10th - First EVER GOD's GIRLS Slumber Party!!!!  

John 5:31-46 - Believing your Own PR

You accept praise from one another. But you make no effort to receive the praise that comes from the only God. So how can you believe?

John 5:44

Public Relations....it is a funny thing.

The whole idea is to shine someone up to look like a better version of themselves. To accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

If we aren't careful we can begin to believe the PR about ourselves. When people tell you that you are wonderful and amazing and "no one could ever be as good as you are", it is flattering and can build you up. But, we need to be careful to remember who made is wonderful and amazing and better than anyone.

The gifts and graces we display are reflections of those gifts God placed in our lives. Yes, they all require our participation. You aren't going to hit a home run by simply standing at the plate and willing the ball over the outfield fence. You need to practice and hone the natural talent God gave you, but the talents - the gifts - those started with God.

Humility is at the core of who we are as Christians. Recognizing that God works through us and strengthens us to do the work He calls us to do.

As Jesus first confronted the Pharisees, the most learned and highest ranking of the Jews, he was calling the out on the fact that they were boasting in their own skills and talents, disregarding that their true gifts came from God.

The Pharisees - who had studied every inch of scripture - were so caught up in being Pharisees that the couldn't see that the ONE they had been learning about their whole lives was now standing directly in front of them. The Messiah had come and instead of embracing him and praising God for answered prayers, they discounted him and spun a negative campaign against him. Instead of believing in him they tried to thwart God at every turn.

The Pharisees had begun listening to their own PR. They believed that they were better than other Jews. They believed that they were smarter than everyone else. They believed that they were infalliable. They believed all of this and confirmed it with each other. Jesus confronts the Pharisees with their falacies, but instead of being humble and being accountable to their failings they chose to embrace the PR and turn an attack on Jesus.

All too often when someone challenges our state of thinking - when someone holds us accountable for how we are falling short of the grace and love Jesus offers - we go on the offensive. We look for ways to discount the person who is trying to be a voice of reason in our lives. Instead of looking within to see if they are right, we chose to look outward and try and find the hole in the arguement.

Jesus was trying to help the Pharisees - but all they could see was a threat to the beautifully orchastrated Public Relations machine they had created. They had to destroy the threat.

They chose their public image over the Messiah.

Long term - not the best PR move.

As you are challenged in your thinking and in your life - even as you are praised for being the wonderful you - you are - check everything with God and His will for your life.

PR is a great tool - as long as you understand the truth and remain humble in the midst of all of the praise - because when we start to believe the praise more than we embrace the humility we find we are on the slippery slope of the Pharisees. And no one wants to have bad PR with God.

Scripture

John 5:31-46

Quote of the Day

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.”

Daniel J. Boorstin, American Educator

 

Question of the Day

 

What is the difference between being great in the world's eyes and being great in the eyes of God?



John 5:16-21 ~ Be Amazed

Jesus answered, "What I'm about to tell you is true. The Son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does. This is because the Father loves the Son. He shows him everything he does. Yes, you will be amazed! The Father will show him even greater things than these.

John 5:19-20

You will be amazed.

I love that Jesus straight out tells us the truth. You will be amazed.

When I think about what it means to be amazed my thoughts go to things that are bigger than life.

I am amazed by the fact that airplanes stay in the sky.

I am amazed that hockey players can jump two feet off the ice and land on a quarter inch piece of metal.

I am amazed that an averaged size man can hit a round ball going ninety miles an hour 400 feet with a round bat.

I am amazed that rainbows exist.

I am amazed that babies figure out how to crawl pretty much on their own.

I am amazed by the overwhelming blessings in my life.

I am amazed by the overwhelming grace God offers.

I am amazed...are you?

Everyday we have the opportunity to be amazed by simply experiencing the life God has put before us. Instead of simply taking for granted that the water will come from the faucet or the gas will make the car run, we can take a moment and allow all of the modern conveniences God has inspired man to create are available to us - because not everyone has that gift.

We can be amazed.

We can take the opportunity to listen to a friend recount his or her story - allowing that story to transform us.

We can be amazed.

Tomorrow, as we face another hot, sultry day of summer, we can laugh with joy over the beauty which springs up in flowerbeds and gorgeous trees.

We can be amazed.

We can pull out our Bibles and read of the unabashed love God has showered on His creation.

We can be amazed.

We have opportunities to see the amazing wonderfulness of our Creator which overflow each day. Our responsibility is to take each of those moments, pause and truly be amazed.

Be amazed - because God is amazing.

Scripture

John 5:16-21

Quote of the Day

“If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you'll be amazed at the results.”

General George S. Patton

Question of the Day

What amazes you?

John 5:1-14 ~ Victim or Victorious

Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."

John 5:8

In life we have choices.

When we are faced with obstacles we can sit still and wait for our situation to change. We can be passive and complain when our situation remains stagnate.

Or, we can stand up and try to fix our problem. We can be proactive. We can choose to "pick up our mats and walk."

In the story of Jesus healing the cripple at the pools of Bethesda, we read of a man who had been sitting by the healing pools for thirty-eight years. The pools were assumed to have healing powers. Each time the waters stirred the first person who entered the pool would find healing. This man had been waiting to be the first one into the water for the better part of a lifetime. He waited. He showed extreme patience. And he was passive.

Jesus asked the man a very important question:

"Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6)

Do you want to get well?

 This man was waiting for the world to act upon him rather than taking an active role in his healing. He was choosing the status quo rather than seeking a better experience.

He was choosing to be a victim rather than victorious.

Do you want to get well?

Each of us has something, regardless of our age, our faith walk, our station of life, that needs healing in our lives. The something is a roadblock in your faith journey. Whatever your something might be, it is holding you back from experiencing the healing grace of Jesus in your life. Allowing your something to remain a roadblock is allowing yourself to be a victim. You are choosing your something over Jesus.

Do you want to get well?

Jesus is asking you this question just as plainly as he asked the man at the pools of Bethesda 2,000 years ago.

What is your answer?

Are you a victim or are you victorious?

Scripture

John 5:1-14

Quote of the Day

“A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.”

Rita Mae Brown

Question of the Day

What is your choice?