God Wants Whatever I Have

In review of John 6:5b-6 it says, “‘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.”

Bottom Line:

God always has the answer before you even know the problem

What this means to me:

God may present me with a difficult question that I alone do not know how to answer.  He may be doing this to test me, for he likely already has in mind what he is going to do. He just wants me to bring what I have.

This passage is part of the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Seems a bit strange that out of 5,000 people, only one person brought a lunch. It’s likely that a lot of people were hiding a picnic basket under their robes because they didn’t want to share with anybody else. But one little boy offered the bread and fish that he packed for his lunch. He gave Jesus what little he had, and God used it not just to feed a lot of people but also to show them how much he cared and how powerful he is.

What I’m learning is that God always starts with what I have. I may not have much time or money, and I may not think I have much in the way of talent.

But I can give God everything in my life. I can give him my heart and reputation. I can give him my past, present, and future. It may not be much, but I can give him my five loaves and two fish.

In John 6:5-6 Jesus asks, “‘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” (NIV).

Jesus wasn’t sweating how to feed 5,000 people. He already had in mind what he was going to do. He saw the need long before they did. And he had a plan.

One truth I need understand: God always has the answer before I even know the problem. God is not sweating my unsolvable problem. It’s not too late in the day for Jesus. He saw my problem long before I did. He knew it was coming, and he already had a plan for it. God knows the solution to my problem before I even recognize it’s a problem.

So why do I worry. I just need to admit that I have an unsolvable problem, and then give God everything I have.

I have to admit, my first reaction to problems is to try to solve it with my own power / resources. Often I think this is because I need to be strong and overcome problems on my own. At times I forget to even bring God into the equation.

In summary, God may present me with a difficult question that I alone do not know how to answer.  He may be doing this to test me, for he likely already has in mind what he is going to do. He just wants me to bring what I have. It’s important for me to give what I have and surrender it God. It’s at this point that I learn to rely on him and not on myself.

Being His Representation And Representative

In review of Genesis 1:27-28 it says, "27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Bottom Line:

God created us in his own image Then God blessed us and told us to be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth, subdue / govern it, and to reign over fish, birds and animals.

What this means to me:

God created me and everyone else in his own image. He blessed what he created and left us instructions to be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth, subdue and govern it, to reign over fish, birds and animals.

It’s important to note that in creating us in his image, he shared with us his likeness, which gives us some of his traits. In addition, he has also made each one of us unique. We learn more about his likeness and nature by spending focused time with him in prayer and reading his word.

Like others, I find myself getting caught up in day-to-day life activities and tasks that I need to accomplish. I tend to go into automatic mode and just execute. It’s in these automatic times that I’m not always focusing on him as my creator. Also we can tend towards self-sufficiency, thinking we don’t need any help.  I know, i’m much better at keeping him at the foremost of my mind when I spend time with him in the morning (my quiet time routine.)

God actually longs for our relationship with him, this is one of the reasons he created us. He wants us to be extensions of him in the world around us (we are to be salt and light.) I need to remember that I’m his representative. The way I live my life is a reflection of him and what life is like in his Kingdom.

The Kind of Goals That God Blesses

In review of 1 Corinthians 9:26 it says, “I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something — not just the air.”

Bottom Line:

So I run with purpose in every step I take. I am not just shadowboxing.

What this means to me:

I should not run without first having a purpose or a goal. Without goals I have no chance of having a different experience this year than the last as the default action will always be more of the same. Establishing longer term goals will keep me from being discouraged by any short-term setbacks. Setbacks are inevitable, but the setbacks won’t slow me down as long as I’m focusing on the achievement of a goal down the road. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:26, “I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something — not just the air” (NCV). To keep myself from just pounding air, I should be thinking about goals for the following areas; marriage, family, work, school and spiritual development? Without specific goals, I’ll simply just coast and never end up living the life God intends for me to live. However, I need to create goals that God appreciates. As I plan my goals I need to realize that God will only bless goals that:

• Bring him honor: The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (NIV). With the right motivation, I can do everything for the glory of God.
• Are motivated by love: God is far more interested in why I’m doing something than what I’m actually doing. God won’t bless a goal established because of fear, but he will bless a goal established because of love. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do everything with love” (NLT). My goal must either be an expression of love to God or to people.
• Fulfill one of his purposes for your life: God put me on Earth to do five things: bring Him pleasure, be a part of his family, become like Christ, serve Him, and share my life message. If my goals are part of fulfilling one of these purposes, God will bless them.
• Are set in faith: My goals must be big enough that they’ll take God’s help to fulfill. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6a (NIV).
• Are achieved by God’s power: I will not stick to my goals for this year without God’s power. It is difficult to do these on my own. The goals that really matter in life can’t be achieved without the power of God.

So as I look at the goals I’m putting together for this year I’ll want to make sure that they honor Jesus and touch on the points above.

God Is Good All the Time

In summary of 2 Corinthians 4:8b-9 it says, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”

Bottom line:

Trouble surrounds us, and we believe we are beyond our breaking point.  We think we will never make it through it.  We learned to stop relying on just ourselves and instead learning to rely on God.

What this means to me:

There are many times when I pressed on all sides, mainly with deadlines, commitments, and new problems surfacing everyday.  But If stop relying on just myself to get through it and instead rely on God, I can make it through anything.  God has told me that he will never leave me.  I need to keep the perspective that God is developing within me the character of Christ.  To do this, he must take me through circumstances in life, just like he did with Jesus.  God will use the dark and stressful times in my life for God.  He’ll use them to teach me to trust in him, to show me how I can help others and to draw his body of believers closer together.  So when I’m in difficult times, I need to refuse being discouraged.  God is with me, I just need to rely on him for protection and guidance.  In summary, troubles and pressures will come, I just need to rely on God, not myself.  God will never leave or abandon me.  I just need to give it to him.