Sunday, June 12, 2022

PT-2 "The Dullness of Perspective" (Matt. 14:15-17)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/12/2022 8:11 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  PT-2 “The Dullness of Perspective”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference: Matthew 14:15-17

 

            Message of the verses:  15  And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, "The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" 17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish.’”

 

            We find out again from John’s gospel report that Andrew had discovered that a young boy had brought his lunch consisting of five loaves and two fish.”  It is very possible that the Lord let Philip and Andrew to continue to think about His request during the rest of the day, while He was healing the multitudes and while he also was “Speaking to them about the kingdom of God” as seen in Luke 9:11).  Jesus provided a daylong test of the disciple’s faith.

 

            John MacArthur writes “As we look back on the scene from our two-thousand-year advantage point, it seems impossible that even when Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away, you give them something to eat!’ the idea of His feeding the people miraculously did not enter the disciples’ minds.  Seeing no further than their own resources, they replied, We have here only five loaves and two fish.  It would seem to have required so little faith and to have been so natural for the disciples to expect Jesus to feed the crowd.  But they were like a person who stands in front of Niagara Falls and asks where he can find a drink.  They were face-to-face with the supreme power in the universe and yet were spiritually blind.  They knew it, but they did not know it.  Had anyone asked them if Jesus could do such a thing, their answer would have been an unhesitating and unanimous, ‘Of course He can!’  But even when prompted by Jesus’ suggestion, they saw their own lack instead of His sufficiency.”

 

            As we as believer’s read over this story perhaps we find ourselves believing without a shadow of doubt that Jesus would have no problem in feeding this very large group of hungry people as we have also read about Him turning water into wine and healing every sort of disease, so our faith  would be totally in Him to do this seemingly impossible task.  MacArthur adds “Yet, how many times has every believer faced a crisis that seemed overwhelming and insurmountable and failed to consider the Lord’s power?

            “Despite two years of walking with the Lord, hearing Him teach of God’s truth and seeing Him demonstrate miraculous power, the Twelve were too spiritually dull to see the obvious.  They were looking only with their human eyes and only at human resources.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thinking of the problem that Paul had after going to heaven and seeing things that men were not suppose to see.  Paul was given a thorn in the flesh and asked the Lord three times to take it away, and the Lord said to Him “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”  My point is that we cannot put the Lord in a box and believe that He has to do what we want Him to do for us, but to trust Him to do the best thing for us even though we don’t always understand it.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire to trust the Lord to do the best for me, and the grace to accept that best thing He is doing for me.

 

6/12/2022 8:37 AM

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