Most have heard about Jesus feeding the crowds. In Mark 6:39, five thousand were fed with five loaves of bread and two fish. Everybody was filled and still there were twelve baskets of leftovers. In Mark 8, Jesus feeds four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish. Examples of powerful miracles certainly. But is there more?
On a show called Love Israel, presented by Dr. Baruch Korman on the Daystar network, the Dr. mentioned a meaning of bread and fish. He said that bread can refer to nourishment and fish can be associated with blessing. This view can put an interesting take on the feeding of the crowds.
The loaves and fish miracle shows that God provides not only for our sustenance but also offers us blessings. Not only survival but a bit extra to make our lives something special. The gospel accounts also show that there can be an abundance of these things. These God given gifts can easily be misconstrued, however. We can become spoiled and be dissatisfied with the nourishment we receive. We can also overlook or not sufficiently appreciate the simple blessings we are granted.
In Mark 8:15, Jesus warned the disciples, "Look out and be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." This confused the disciples. They assumed Jesus mentioned this because they had forgotten to bring extra bread. Jesus strongly rebuked their misunderstanding saying, "Don't you know or understand yet? Are your minds so dull?" And after reminding them of providing the loaves for the thousands concluded with, "And still you don't understand?"
We probably all wish we could've been one of the thousands to be fed by Jesus. While that's not possible, trying everyday to be aware of the gifts God provides can be an alternative. Always being thankful for our sustenance and appreciating even the smallest blessing can help us sharpen our minds toward God and understand what Jesus wants us to know.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
A most valuable gift
God gives us many gifts. One of the most valuable gifts may surprise you. It is very subtle but also very powerful. It may be the key to living life well and approaching God's kingdom.
Jesus, shortly before his arrest, explained to his apostles, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
A gift of peace. Can it be that valuable? Well, does living a life without worry sound attractive? Is living a life with full confidence something you would like.?
God promises that such a life is possible. "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. Isaiah 32:17
But accepting this gift of peace is not easy. As Jesus describes, it is not given as the world gives. The world deals mainly in materialism. The value of worldly gifts is usually based on cost or quantity. Often, our view of gifts in this way seems to generate more anxiety than pleasure and any pleasure we do receive is very short lived.
If we look beyond the world's ways and look toward the precepts of Jesus, we can position ourselves to accept his gift of peace. A gift of less rather than more. A life with less worry, less fear, and a less troubled heart.
Receiving this valuable gift of a worry free and confident life is possible but we have to work a bit for it. Study God's word and avoid the overly worldly. So, "I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants -" Psalm 85:8
Jesus, shortly before his arrest, explained to his apostles, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
A gift of peace. Can it be that valuable? Well, does living a life without worry sound attractive? Is living a life with full confidence something you would like.?
God promises that such a life is possible. "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. Isaiah 32:17
But accepting this gift of peace is not easy. As Jesus describes, it is not given as the world gives. The world deals mainly in materialism. The value of worldly gifts is usually based on cost or quantity. Often, our view of gifts in this way seems to generate more anxiety than pleasure and any pleasure we do receive is very short lived.
If we look beyond the world's ways and look toward the precepts of Jesus, we can position ourselves to accept his gift of peace. A gift of less rather than more. A life with less worry, less fear, and a less troubled heart.
Receiving this valuable gift of a worry free and confident life is possible but we have to work a bit for it. Study God's word and avoid the overly worldly. So, "I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants -" Psalm 85:8
Sunday, February 11, 2018
The truth about the "End Times"
I believe we are getting a lot closer to the "End Times" or the time of great tribulation. Now I don't know exactly when or how it will play out but my key indicator is signaling it is fast approaching. What is the key indicator? Simply truth and how much it is cherished in society.
Truth is the necessary ingredient for all honest and just human interaction. It is easy to consider and make the right decision when one has the feeling that they have a truthful grasp of a situation. On the other hand, if one isn't sure what the true facts are then confusion reigns. It is difficult, if not impossible, to make a correct decision. Worse, it also makes it extremely easy to cut moral corners as what is right and wrong appear ambiguous.
It seems truth has never been in such short supply as it is today. All of our major institutions appear to lack the honesty and integrity necessary to give the populace a truthful foundation for making honest and just decisions. Most troubling is that the public has become increasingly accepting of this truth void. Pushed to cynically accept that there is no truth. I believe that our current great acceptance of lies and great skepticism that there is a truth suggests a fast approaching "End Times".
Why does truth matter? Jesus was all about truth. He preached the Good News, the way to live a true life in God's kingdom. In John 18:37, after his arrest and being questioned by Pontius Pilate, Jesus was asked, "Are you a king, then?"
Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born and came into this world for one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me."
Those who want to follow Jesus, understand the Good News, and approach God's kingdom might want to have a major focus on truth. As the tribulation nears, we want to have clear conviction as to what is a just and Christ-like course of action. It is not going to be a time to be confused. We don't want to be as Pilate was when he replied, "And what is truth?"
Truth is the necessary ingredient for all honest and just human interaction. It is easy to consider and make the right decision when one has the feeling that they have a truthful grasp of a situation. On the other hand, if one isn't sure what the true facts are then confusion reigns. It is difficult, if not impossible, to make a correct decision. Worse, it also makes it extremely easy to cut moral corners as what is right and wrong appear ambiguous.
It seems truth has never been in such short supply as it is today. All of our major institutions appear to lack the honesty and integrity necessary to give the populace a truthful foundation for making honest and just decisions. Most troubling is that the public has become increasingly accepting of this truth void. Pushed to cynically accept that there is no truth. I believe that our current great acceptance of lies and great skepticism that there is a truth suggests a fast approaching "End Times".
Why does truth matter? Jesus was all about truth. He preached the Good News, the way to live a true life in God's kingdom. In John 18:37, after his arrest and being questioned by Pontius Pilate, Jesus was asked, "Are you a king, then?"
Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born and came into this world for one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me."
Those who want to follow Jesus, understand the Good News, and approach God's kingdom might want to have a major focus on truth. As the tribulation nears, we want to have clear conviction as to what is a just and Christ-like course of action. It is not going to be a time to be confused. We don't want to be as Pilate was when he replied, "And what is truth?"
Sunday, February 4, 2018
You won the lottery! Now what?
If you're reading this, you've won the lottery. You really beat the odds. What do I mean?
Life, in the big picture, is not very common. As far as we can tell, life is extremely rare beyond our own planet. We have not found proof of life outside earth. That's in the whole universe and that's any sort of life, forget about intelligent life.
So you being alive and able to read this post is a miraculous thing. An accomplishment that beat the odds far beyond winning any lottery. But like a monetary lottery, the real benefit for the winner comes from what they do with the prize. In our case, what do we do with that gift of existence?
In Mark 12:28, Jesus teaches us two basics for getting the most out of life. In response to a teacher of the Law's query, "Which is the most important commandment of all?" Jesus responds, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second most important commandment is this: ' You must love your fellow-man as yourself. ' There is no other commandment more important than these two. "
After the teacher of the Law pondered and agreed with this wholeheartedly, Jesus saw how wise the teacher was and told him, " You are not far from the Kingdom of God. "
While Jesus also preached other details on how to get the most out of our precious "beating the odds" gift, isn't it great that just by undertaking these two commandments we wouldn't be far from God's Kingdom? From living life as it was intended to be.
Love God with everything you have and love others as yourself. Can we do it?
Life, in the big picture, is not very common. As far as we can tell, life is extremely rare beyond our own planet. We have not found proof of life outside earth. That's in the whole universe and that's any sort of life, forget about intelligent life.
So you being alive and able to read this post is a miraculous thing. An accomplishment that beat the odds far beyond winning any lottery. But like a monetary lottery, the real benefit for the winner comes from what they do with the prize. In our case, what do we do with that gift of existence?
In Mark 12:28, Jesus teaches us two basics for getting the most out of life. In response to a teacher of the Law's query, "Which is the most important commandment of all?" Jesus responds, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second most important commandment is this: ' You must love your fellow-man as yourself. ' There is no other commandment more important than these two. "
After the teacher of the Law pondered and agreed with this wholeheartedly, Jesus saw how wise the teacher was and told him, " You are not far from the Kingdom of God. "
While Jesus also preached other details on how to get the most out of our precious "beating the odds" gift, isn't it great that just by undertaking these two commandments we wouldn't be far from God's Kingdom? From living life as it was intended to be.
Love God with everything you have and love others as yourself. Can we do it?
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