miracles, marvels, wonder, and worship

…so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:31

Wonder and worship should go together. In the ministry of Jesus, people marveled at the miracles, and it led them to praise the God Who gave so much in Jesus to the world. A heart of wonder, of amazement, of perplexed perceptions of the power of God underlies true worship.

As I read the gospels I too am filled with wonder and amazement at Jesus with His healing touch, His powerful word, His stirring teaching, His authoritative command and call, and His marvelous miracles. And it leads my soul to worship even now.

Jesus,

You are a powerful Savior. You are the Healer of my heart. You are the Savior of my soul. You made a miracle out of my mess more times than I can count. I am in wonder and I praise my God Who is my salvation… my strength… and my song.

Amen

change greater than conformity

…it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.

Matthew 15:11

By fulfilling the Law, Jesus did something new. He moved the emphasis in character beyond petty human legalistic interpretations and endless lists of “do’s and don’t”. The things that really mattered were not outward compliance. Instead, inner change resulting in true righteousness would mark the citizens of Jesus’ kingdom.

Vain religion thrives on conformity and rigid rule-keeping. It was what made the ticked-off Pharisees so mad that Jesus did not follow their non-biblical traditions and requirements for hand-washings. And in their hearts, because what was in them was not from God, hatred blossomed into a murderous rage — proof that Jesus was right about the importance of the correct holy truth producing truly righteous words and deeds.

Lord,

help me to trust the change that salvation in Christ brings as Your Word and Spirit change me from the inside, so that Your works come out.

Amen

infused with eternal significance

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.

John 6:27

A life lived only for the stuff of this world, only for the experiences of this brief spin on planet earth is a life poorly lived. It misses the real reason for life. Christians invest ourselves with a view towards eternity. Food for our day to day will be consumed or perish. But Jesus feeds us better… a life that carries us into eternity.

And so in all we do, Christians must labor toward the eternal. Not that we dismiss any earthly experience. Rather, we see how God infuses those moments that we live right now with eternal significance for His glory and our good. We rejoice in the gospel when we eat, drink, interact, work, learn, and play for God’s glory. We find Jesus giving us eternal bread in the provision of our daily bread found in our labor and our career. 

Yes, Lord, all my days call me to work for the food that will never perish. Fill up my moments with abundant life yielding eternal life in You, Jesus!

Amen

“It is I; do not be afraid.”

But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

John 6:20

When the rough seas are making life difficult, Jesus is still right there. Like the disciples struggling to row their boat across the lake, we may be alarmed to see Jesus out there with us walking on the water we are fighting against. We are so dull and our faith is so small. It never enters our mind that God is with us as we try to make it on our own. But there He is! Don’t be afraid.

Rough seas will not deter the One Who spoke them into being. Strong winds are no match for the Giver of the breath of life. Tough rowing is not an issue for the One Who immediately brings boats to their destination. We may have our problems facing life’s circumstances. Jesus, however, does not. Don’t be afraid.

And so we must always trust. We ask our Lord for daily bread and daily forgiveness. We need Him in the rough winds and high waves. He is right there. Jesus says, “It is I; be not afraid.”

close… but wrong

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

John 6:14

You can be close to getting things right about the identity of Jesus, and still be totally wrong.The crowd of five thousand that were fed by Jesus were right about the true miracle they experienced being a sign. They were right that Jesus was in one sense fulfilling the role of a promised prophet like Moses spoken of in Deuteronomy. But they were totally off on the scope of His mission.

Jesus withdrew from this joyous crowd because they were over-enthusiastic about Him in all the wrong ways, because they wanted by force to make Him King (John 6:15). They wanted food, miracles here and now and an earthly set of solutions. This was nearsighted and wrong. None of this was ultimately the focus of the Savior’s mission.

Jesus will not be limited by our petty human concerns… no matter how obsessed we are with Him addressing them. He is much more than a meal ticket. He is not just a healer at our beck and call. He is bigger than our petty politics. Jesus is not just a king… He is Lord over all other Kings that rule, even those desires that rule our hearts that can twist our understanding of Him. He will not stand to be limited in our thinking to just an earthly rule. And so we must trust Him when He does not address our earthly concerns as we would want. Why? Because His purposes are perfect!

more than we need

And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

Matthew 14:20

Jesus provides more than enough. He blesses beyond our need. He gives us beyond our wildest imaginations. One lesson from the feeding of the five thousand is that God gives so much more than physical provision. It is a picture of His extravagant love. When God cares for us it is overflowing, abundant, real, and rewarding. Nobody left hungry and much more was left over than when it all began.

The size of our need can never be more than God can manage. Twelve disciples were overwhelmed with the task of feeding five thousand people. They suggested to Jesus they just give up on that idea. The meager five loaves and two fish they found would have barely fed the twelve themselves. Yet Jesus took what they meagerly offered and blessed it. Large crowd? Meager resources? No problem with God’s power and love!

Jesus will bless what we offer Him, even in our confusion, even in our helplessness, even with our meager abilities. Why not give it to Him to use? Be amazed at what God will do with our little to do much!

Fear not.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:31

Jesus said these words to His disciples amidst a warning that they would face stiff opposition to their preaching of the gospel. Yet God was taking care of them. He takes care of even the smallest of His creatures… there when even a sparrow falls to the ground. God will certainly keep His children right where He wants them. There is no need to fear when we are loved by God, led by His Spirit, and sent by Jesus!

An unknown outcome headed your way? Fear not. A difficult decision weighing on you? Fear not. Hurt by a loved one? Fear not. Worried about the state of our world? Fear not. Battling with the worst experience you’ve ever imagined? Fear not.

Fear not, I am with thee

O be not dismayed

For I am thy God,

I will still give thee aid

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee,

and cause thee to stand

Upheld by my righteous

omnipotent hand