Alright...
Recently I have really felt the Lord challenging me on knowing the Gospels, knowing the Red Letters better than Paul's Letters. So I have been pressing into Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John lately and today I was reading Matthew 15:32-39 where Jesus feeds the 4,000.
Most of us have heard this story, how Jesus turned a little amount of bread into a big amount, yay! However, there is SO much more in this short little story. This is what the Holy Spirit revealed to me and encouraged me with this morning.
Jesus came to the crowd and had compassion on them. Jesus was so compassionate! As I read throughout the Gospels, every time Jesus saw a crowd it is always immediately followed with "He had compassion on them", I pray that when I see anyone... a crowd, a person... that I would have the same compassion.
After He had a great compassion Jesus says in verse 32, "And I am UNwilling to send them away hungry." I love this line. How amazing that the Lord never wants to send us away hungry, He always wants to fill us, He always wants to feed us, He always wants to provide for us. I love this simple verse because it shows us the character of God. How can we not trust and rest in God if this is His character?
Then Jesus asks the disciples "how much do you have?" and they say 7 loaves and a few small fish. That is not a lot. Even if you think about 7 loaves and a few small fish JUST for the disciples and Jesus... that is seriously not a lot! But here is the cool part.... Jesus took the 7 loaves and few fish. He didn't say "Oh you guys need to go catch more", "well where is the rest you used to have?", "why is this all you have?". Jesus doesn't say any of that, He just takes what little they have and blesses it. The disciples offer Him what little they have and He receives it with joy and is going to bless it and grow it and feed people with it.
If this doesn't start paralleling... let me try and break it down.
We are disciples yes? If you follow Jesus Christ you are a disciple. And we don't have a whole lot to offer and bring to the table without Jesus Christ, but what little we DO have we should give it to Jesus. God is faithful and keeps His Word. If we offer what little we have to Jesus, He will bless it and grow it and give it to others. With the blessing and power of Jesus Christ we can expand our ministry to feed thousands! And I LOVE that in verse 37 it says that there was even some food left over! With Jesus there is excess! He wants non believers to be fed and satisfied in Him yes, but He also has extra and wants us to be fed and satisfied in Him. This is a beautiful picture of His character as well.
The Lord does not require for us to be these awesome super humans who are way more awesome than everyone else. No. He wants people who are willing to give up what they have. He wants worshippers. He wants people who see the value of Him and His Kingdom and are willing to do anything and everything to bring it on earth. He wants His children to trust Him by giving the only food they have. I always think of that verse in Exodus 6:1 "Now thou shalt see what I will do..." When we surrender and give Him what we have, when we trust Him with it all... He gets excited. And so do I. Cause that's when crazy stuff happens, that's when lives get transformed right before our eyes and people encounter the love of Christ. We can only imagine what He will do with a surrendered heart and spirit. Let's let it rain people, let's let HIM REIGN.
Now let's make sure that we are surrendering out of a pure heart, lets make sure we labor out of love. For if we do not FIRST love the Lord our God with everything we are, than our 7 loaves are given in vain. As much as the Lord loves obedience and sacrifice, that is not what He wants from us FIRST. He wants our love, He wants our heart. So in the midst of this entire Blog Post... let's remember that it is out of a radical love for Jesus Christ that we as followers do anything. Fall in love with Jesus first. It will make following and obeying Him a joy.
Now let's make sure that we are surrendering out of a pure heart, lets make sure we labor out of love. For if we do not FIRST love the Lord our God with everything we are, than our 7 loaves are given in vain. As much as the Lord loves obedience and sacrifice, that is not what He wants from us FIRST. He wants our love, He wants our heart. So in the midst of this entire Blog Post... let's remember that it is out of a radical love for Jesus Christ that we as followers do anything. Fall in love with Jesus first. It will make following and obeying Him a joy.
I pray that we are a generation that gives what we have, the little tiny bit we have. That is what the Lord wants. Surrender, dependence... He wants you to need Him! Isn't that crazy to think about? We are always told not to be needy, but Jesus is the one thing I can't recommend enough to be needy for!! That is when God's Kingdom is advanced, that is when people come to know the saving love of Jesus Christ, when they see God. Not you, not me, but God. The Holy Spirit adds to the Church, not us. But how beautiful and lovely that the Holy Spirit chose us to work through in bringing His lost sheep home.
Wow. Thank You Lord for taking the little loaves I have and multiplying them for Your glory. Help me to always surrender what I have and trust that You will bring salvation and joy out of it. I pray Lord the same for my friends and fellow brothers & sisters, that we would be disciples who are willing to give it all in faith. Keep our grips loose on this earth and tight in Heaven, help us to save with You the Savior. Fill us with Your Spirit, lead us to places where we could never dream of, take us deeper in Your Kingdom, deeper in Your heart for the lost, grow our faith so that we are unshakable here on earth, encourage us to jump on board with You steering us to the ends of the earth. Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the power, Yours is the glory forever, Amen.
These are two songs that my spirit has been singing all week... it all totally applies. Worship Him, He is worthy of it all.
No comments:
Post a Comment