Archive: 2023

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “Overcoming Death” Week 5 of Signs (LISTEN HERE)

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“God must hate me.”

“God is angry at me.”

“God is getting back at me.”

Have you had these thoughts run through your mind when you were going through a very challenging time in life?

We lose a job.  We get a serious illness.  We experience the loss of a loved one.  Fill in the blank.

Often when hardship comes into our life we have this reaction because we think we deserve better.  This can especially be a temptation for Christians who have faithfully walked with Jesus for a long period of time.  However the sin of thought is that by doing what we should as a Christian we are earning life without trouble.  Or, at the very least, if trouble is to come, we have a stash of good that we can appeal to God to take away what we think is not good.

In John 11 and the raising of Lazarus, there are so many great truths to draw from it.  Please read that chapter this week.  However, one truth that stands out in the introduction to the account is this: Jesus loved Lazarus…and Mary…and Martha.

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Why did the Spirit of God lead John to write, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”?  I think it is because the fact that Jesus a) didn’t speak healing to Lazarus from a distance and heal him appears unloving when Jesus could have or b) Jesus delayed in going to Lazarus until he was already dead.

If someone is critically ill in the hospital and I tell the family, “I’ll be there in two days.” I don’t think that statement would appear too loving to the family in the middle of a life or death crisis.

Yet, the Apostle John notes Jesus’ heart for Lazarus.  It plays out later as Jesus wept at the graveside of Lazarus.

Yet…Lazarus died and Mary and Martha were grieving.

That doesn’t sound loving.

But here’s the perspective, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

The losses, hardships and challenges in life are opportunities for the glory of God to be revealed.  

I lose a job…perhaps the Lord is setting up a time to trust him when your heart was relying too heavily on yourself.  Perhaps the Lord is opening a door better than the one that was closed.  

I get a terminal illness.  Perhaps the Lord is slowing down life to give you opportunity to reconnect and grow in your relationship with him.  Perhaps he will use your peace and joy during a time of suffering to be a witness to another which he uses for their salvation.

The death of Lazarus is couched under the truth: Jesus loved Lazarus.

This is the blanket truth that covers our lives as well: Jesus loves you.

So with that premise in mind and heart, know that truly all that happens is to solidify that truth and allow the glory of God to be revealed.

 

Apply: What challenge are you going through?  What are two possible ways God is showing his love to you in this season/situation?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for a love that never diminishes and is always there…even in the hardships and challenges of life.  AMEN.

First readers, I apologize again for the sporadic devotions this week.  I was at meetings in Milwaukee and traveling and just failed to get them written and posted.

So let’s wrap up the week with the ultimate “Why?” for the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 plus people.

There is no question the miracle was impressive.  Two fish and five loaves become enough food for every person on the hillside to have not just a bite but to be satisfied, completely full…AND there were twelve baskets of bread left over.  Even what was left over was more than what was present at the beginning.

The result?

You would think that Jesus following grew exponentially.  How would you have reacted?  If you were a doubter, I would think having a meal provided by Jesus could be pretty convincing.

So why did Jesus’ following greatly diminish after the miracle?

John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Please read the full chapter 6 of John to fill in the details, but when people realized that following Jesus was not just watching his miracles and enjoying the results of them, but rather accepting him as the Son of God and “eating of him,” people didn’t want anything to do with it.

Perhaps this is true too often in our lives and the lives of others.

If the Lord allows material blessings, it’s easy to follow him.  When he gives us health, a good income, great relationships, fun experiences…it is perhaps easier to stay close to Jesus.  We love the “bread” that Jesus distributes.

However, when the material things of life diminish and we are challenged to follow Jesus in spite the hardships and scarcity we experience, it is very tempting to walk away from Jesus or never follow him in the first place.

The lesson Jesus is teaching his disciples and us is that he is far more interested in our eternal sustenance, than our physical sustenance (although by the miracle he is certainly gracious to provide for both.)  When we are challenged to give up the idols in our heart and follow Jesus; to give up the possibility that there are many ways to heaven; and to submit ourselves to the Word of God?  Hmmm…now I have to think about that.  Many simply find it easer to disconnect from Jesus and follow their own path in life.

So many followers of Jesus did.

So he turns to his disciples (the original group he was with before the crowd of people came).

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answers for himself and others.

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

The test Jesus set up for his disciples about where to buy bread was a test to discern not the practical feeding of so many people, but to give opportunity to build confidence in the hearts of the disciples that Jesus was the Christ and that by believing they would have life in his name.

The very purpose John stated he recorded the miracles were the very ones God used to convince him that Jesus was the Son of God, the ONLY one with words that led to eternal life.

Bread would bless for a few hours.  The Bread of Life, Jesus, would sustain life for an eternity.

That is why Jesus did the miracle of feeding the 5000+.

So you and I would answer when we are tempted to leave Jesus, ““Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Apply: What tempts you to walk away from Jesus?  What happens when we turn back to his word of truth and realize that Jesus is the only one who gives eternal life?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being concerned about my eternal salvation more than our physical bread, but I am also grateful you provide for my daily needs even as you did all for my eternal needs. AMEN.

As the crowd approached Jesus, he asked Philip where they could get bread to feed all the people. As we mentioned yesterday (I wrote this for Tuesday, but forgot to post it!), Jesus was setting up a test. Was it a trick question?  Perhaps you could make that argument.  However, Jesus was asking the question, not because he needed help solving the problem, he already knew the answer.  He asked the question to see how his disciples would answer it.

So they give it their best shot.

Philip responds, “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for every one to have a bite.”

Why would he answer this way?

Why would you answer the question this way?

I will speak for myself, but perhaps you can relate.

I naturally look for solutions that are in the realm of my awareness and possibilities.  Philip obviously had purchased bread before for himself and perhaps for smaller crowds the disciples used their treasury to buy a bit of bread.  So, it’s a natural line of thinking.  We have purchased bread in the past.  It costs a certain price per loaf.  A loaf feeds about “x” number of people.  So to get food for about 5000 people it would be at least eight months wages…just to give everyone a bite.

To be fair, the good Lord most often provides natural means to provide for our physical well being.  The natural progression to put food on our table would be to a) get a job; b) do your job faithfully; c) get paid for doing your job; d) go to the grocery store and buy food; e) prepare the food and eat it.

So if you had company coming over, you would buy a little bit more.  If you were hosting a graduation party, it would take more money to buy enough food.  If you were at the Round Rock Express minor league baseball game (in Round Rock, TX) and was asked to feed everyone in the stands, the practical financial person, perhaps like Philip was, you figure out the same solution.  Eight months wages wouldn’t even get every person a bite.

Our natural solution would come up short.

Andrew tried by bringing a young boy who was wise enough to bring something to eat.  Yet, Andrew also has to acknowledge that two fish and five barley loaves would never even get past the first fifty guests.

Again, I am not faulting Philip or Andrew.  They brought forward two answers that seem reasonable to consider.  Buy enough or borrow enough.  But in this case, neither was enough.

The test put the disciples in a position that they were lacking.  What they could do or what they could gather was not enough.

Jesus knew this was the case.  He wanted his disciples to realize that there would be situations in life where their resources were not enough to deal with the challenge.  He wanted them to reach of their abilities to see the limitations of human possibilities.  He wanted them to see that he, Jesus, as the Son of God had resources beyond their limitations and possibilities beyond their abilities.

He wants us to see the same thing.

While the Apostle Paul wasn’t on the mountainside with Jesus, Jesus taught him a similar lesson.  He shares his learning with these two verses.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

Is it possible that Jesus wanted his disciples to experience a situation where they had to rely on him?

I think so.

And he does the same for us.

 

Apply: What situation are you facing today that you are working to solve simply with your human possibilities?  Perhaps it’s time to admit defeat and rely on the Lord.  Ask him for help.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the situations in my life where I am invited and sometimes forced to rely on you instead of myself.  AMEN.

 

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “Not Enough” Week 4 of Signs (LISTEN HERE)

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Happy Monday morning!  I pray this week is one you see is blessed and guided by the Lord!  Yesterday we looked at a fourth miracle from the Gospel of John, one that is commonly known as “The Feeding of the 5000.” (Click the link above to listen to the message from July 23.)

If I were to ask you what the key part of this miracle was, many of you would be able to relate that Jesus fed over 5000 (when you include women and children) individuals with a boy’s lunch of two small fish and five loaves of bread.

Truly an incredible miracle.

While the “what” of the miracle is well known, why did Jesus perform it?

Perhaps it’s just me, but I was one of those kids that after an answer to one question, I would ask the question “Why?”

Mom: “Michael, you can’t have a cookie before dinner.”

Me: “Why?”

Mom: “Because you will spoil your appetite.”

Me: “Why?”

Mom: Because a cookie will fill your tummy before the good food.”

Me: “Why can’t I have dessert first?”

Enough said.

I want to know why.  Why did Jesus do THIS miracle?  Why did Jesus do it when he did it?  Why is it significant?

Truly asking “Why?” can be a dangerous thing when we seek God’s truth, only in that sometimes the Lord in his infinite wisdom simply tells us “What” happened and not always “Why” it happened.  But in many cases, the quest for the answer to the question “Why” is to be found.  It actually has served me well and I invite you to use it as a question as you search and study the Scriptures…of course always asking the Spirit of God to answer the question for you.

So this week, let’s ask a few “Why?” questions about the Feeding of the 5000.

So why did Jesus perform this miracle?  In John 6, we will see multiple answers to this question and settle on a key one by the end of the week.  However, let’s start at the beginning:

John 6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 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?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Jesus was at the height of his popularity and probably at the beginning of his third year of public ministry.  The signs Jesus was doing was gaining not only attention, but a following…a large following.  While Jesus was trying to spend some time with his disciples the large crowd found him on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus saw the crowd coming and already knew what he was going to do, however he didn’t want this miracle just to be one on the list without a lasting impact.

So he sets it up with a question to Philip, but evidently a question that the other disciples heard.  Philip was just the one who made eye contact with the teacher! 🙂

“Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

Jesus already knew the answer, but the question was a test.  How would Philip answer?  How would you answer?  (We’ll look at the answers tomorrow…)

The situation that was unfolding was going to be a test for the disciples.  They had studied and followed Jesus for two plus years.  They had seen many miraculous signs, heard his teaching, and engaged the people who followed him.  How would they respond?  Would the learning about Jesus and who he was pay off?  Or was there still learning to do?

It is not beyond the realm of the Lord to allow situations to come into our lives that give us an opportunity to put our faith into practice.  Where will we find enough money to pay the bills?  Where will we find medicine to heal my illness?  Where will we find a spouse when I’ve been alone so long?  WHere will I find a job when I’ve been unemployed for over three months?  The list goes on when we face situations where the question is asked, but the answer is uncertain or the solution unclear.

We may ask “Lord, why?”

He may be answering, “I know what I am going to do, but I want to test you.”

How will you answer the test question?

 

Apply: What situation are you facing that the Lord may be using to allow a test of your faith?  What changes about your approach to the situation when you consider it may be a test the Lord is putting before you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for always having a reason for the things that happen in my life.  Allow me to discern the test in front of me and answer the question with the wisdom of your Spirit.  AMEN.

Today’s devotion is based on Sunday’s message: Signs – Beyond Superstition (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN)

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The bigger picture

At its core, the healing Jesus  did at the pool of the one who was an invalid for 38 years was an amazing restoration of health.  However, the miracles that Jesus did had more purpose than just the external change of one’s condition.

Remember that the Apostle John is recording these seven key miracles in his Gospel to do one thing:

John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 

So, what spiritual impact did this miracle have?  It wasn’t at the pool, but later at the temple:

John 5:14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

At first glance it appears that the physical suffering the man had was due to some sin he committed, although this was a popular opinion about ailments in Jesus’ day.  Sometimes our sins do cause physical harm (addictions; doing illegal activity, etc.) However, in this case we just don’t know.  

To be sure, being an invalid for 38 years is something we would consider “bad.”  However it was temporal and Jesus showed power over the temporal issue by performing the miracle.  But Jesus didn’t want the physical healing to be the end of the story.  Jesus wanted to move the man’s mind away from the physical issue to that which is eternal.  Living in sin, apart from knowing and believing Jesus as your Savior, has a much worse consequence than any physical ailment, no matter how long it lasted.

We don’t know why Jesus chose this man to heal.  We don’t know why he didn’t reveal himself at the pool.  But we do know Jesus’ desire for this man was primarily spiritual.  As John wrote, it was true for this man: Jesus wanted the man to know that he was the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing he would have life in his name.

The Jews wanted to persecute Jesus more.  Yet Jesus took the opportunity to proclaim this truth:

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 

True to his mission, Jesus is ALWAYS interested in the eternal wellbeing of people.  The miracles were just a tool used to convince or gain an audience to proclaim what was really important: Believe in Jesus as your Savior.

The same is true today.

We all go through physical challenges and trials.  Should we be delivered or healed is not the important outcome.  What God desires is that every event in life leads us closer to him.  His desire is that nothing worse happens and we spend eternity with Jesus forever.

 

APPLY: What physical situation is happening in your life today?  How might God be using it to draw you closer to him or to trust him more?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the physical challenges in life.  Use them as you did for the invalid you healed to bring your truth closer to my heart.  AMEN.