Matt. 14:13-21 John 6:1-14
It was like any other day-Jesus, the disciples and enough onlookers to overflow the walls of Jerusalem. Here they were listening to Jesus talk as He unveiled the wonders and mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Finally one of the disciples who probably heard his own stomach growling went to Jesus to question what the dinner plans were. Jesus’ response was slightly more than the disciple had anticipated. Jesus said, “You feed them.” The disciples knew they were being tested so I can just imagine them huddling up as if it were the last few seconds of the Super Bowl and it was fourth and goal, and the score tied. They return back to Jesus with no more than a Hail Mary, saying, “There is a little boy here who has five loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” Jesus smirks as he watches them search for answers. “Have everyone sit down,” He said. Then He takes the food that the little boy had and looking up to Heaven He blesses it. Finally, Jesus passes the food out to the disciples who then pass it out to the men and women. What a sight that must have been to watch those twelve men walk around, tripping on their bottom lip as their jaws hit the ground. You can just hear them mumbling to themselves trying to figure it all out, “Five loaves + two fish = 5,000 people…? Yet in my mind the best was still to come! When the disciples cleaned up the mess and bagged up all the leftovers, there was exactly twelve baskets leftover! Don’t you know Jesus walked empty handed off the mountain that day. He made sure each one of the disciples would carry the OVERFLOW of this little boy’s lunch box! One of the many lessons taught that day to the disciples was that even your meager lunch box contains enough to feed the world when you give it to the LORD. And what of the little boy? Do you think that he was happier about the fact that his lunch just fed 5,000 people or that he was eating lunch with Jesus? I do not know but I do know that whether you were the boy, the amazed disciples, or an onlooker with a full belly, you were grateful to have been showered by the OVERFLOW of Jesus.
Today, we are feeding 5,000 people just like Jesus did. Sure we have over a thousand bags of tasty treats, but even better is we have a Holy God who goes before us raining down an OVERFLOW of His goodness! I pray we all walk away with a basket of Jesus’ leftovers!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Overflowing His NAME
King David wrote Psalms chapter 8 and in it he used one of my favorite words in the Bible. This word is one of the smallest words in Scripture yet it carries great weight! David says, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth; Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!” ‘O,’ what a small word, often overlooked and ignored but to those who run right over it, what a great injustice you are doing to the Bible. Before you can understand the word, ‘O,’ you need to understand the word, ‘LORD.’
The Jews in that day had such a fear and reverence for God that they would not speak His personal name for fear they might say it wrong. They were not even worthy to utter such a Holy name. (That is a far cry from the trash filled entertainment world we live in today!) In Scripture, when you find the word LORD written in all capital letters, you know that the author is writing the proper or personal name of God. Imagine not just calling Him "Father" or "Sir" or "King of Kings," but you call Him by His first name! How paralyzing that thought is in light of His holiness; how shaming that thought is in light of how carelessly we speak His name.
So when king David writes "O LORD, our Lord…" he is speaking to God directly and he is going to Him in utmost reverence. Yet why does he add on the little word? What is the difference in LORD and O LORD? Webster’s dictionary says that the word, ‘O’ is an intensifier. It is added before a word so as to draw on the greatness of it. When the next word is LORD, just imagine the monumental, no, the OVERFLOWING grandeur that the author was trying to convey! “O LORD, my Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!!!!!!!!!!" I get chill bumps thinking about it! David goes on to say that He had set His glory above the heavens. What a great God!
It is a humbling reality to realize that we are mere mortals and God is LORD. How great is our God! Therefore let the prayer of your heart be, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name is all the earth; You have displayed your splendor above the heavens!"
The Jews in that day had such a fear and reverence for God that they would not speak His personal name for fear they might say it wrong. They were not even worthy to utter such a Holy name. (That is a far cry from the trash filled entertainment world we live in today!) In Scripture, when you find the word LORD written in all capital letters, you know that the author is writing the proper or personal name of God. Imagine not just calling Him "Father" or "Sir" or "King of Kings," but you call Him by His first name! How paralyzing that thought is in light of His holiness; how shaming that thought is in light of how carelessly we speak His name.
So when king David writes "O LORD, our Lord…" he is speaking to God directly and he is going to Him in utmost reverence. Yet why does he add on the little word? What is the difference in LORD and O LORD? Webster’s dictionary says that the word, ‘O’ is an intensifier. It is added before a word so as to draw on the greatness of it. When the next word is LORD, just imagine the monumental, no, the OVERFLOWING grandeur that the author was trying to convey! “O LORD, my Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!!!!!!!!!!" I get chill bumps thinking about it! David goes on to say that He had set His glory above the heavens. What a great God!
It is a humbling reality to realize that we are mere mortals and God is LORD. How great is our God! Therefore let the prayer of your heart be, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name is all the earth; You have displayed your splendor above the heavens!"
Memories
Toward the end of my grandmother’s life, she was in and out of nursing homes and hospitals and I had the opportunity to go and visit with her some. One specific memory that I stands out is when she was staying at a nursing home and I came by to say hey and to eat lunch with her. When I walked into her room she was not there, so I went to the cafeteria and she wasn’t there either. I checked a couple other places and she was nowhere to be found. Finally I gave up and asked the nurses and they explained that this particular day was “Spa Day,” therefore she was probably getting her hair done or a pedicure. They took me to the room where the pedicures were going on and sure enough my small, bright eyed grandmother sat there in the chair, talking up a blue breeze while several ladies worked on the feet of the other residents. I walked in and joined the conversation. While I was standing there minding my own business, talking with my Grandmother, I was hit in the arm by something. I turned to look but nothing was there. This puzzled me so I looked around. There, on the floor was what hit me in the arm. I am still mortified to say it. There on the floor was… a toenail!!!! Yuck! One of the ladies giving a pedicure on the other side of the room was using scissor-like clippers and she clipped a toenail, which then flew across the room and hit me in the arm! Oh my stomach turns just thinking about that! (I hate toenails!)
So anyways, the reason I tell you that story is because after I collected myself and they finished my grandmother’s pedicure, we went to lunch. While sitting at the table we would watch the other residences, some doing better than others. She began to talk to me about Heaven and what she imagined it would be like. Other times while she was in the hospital she told me that she thought a lot about Heaven and God, she would quote Scripture and talk about hymns that were special to her. I will never forget sitting at that lunch table, hearing my grandmother OVERFLOW about her relationship with God! That is a lasting legacy, not just of my grandmother, but of the greatness of God! Praise God for the precious souls of those who march before us and teach us what OVERFLOWING is really all about!
What are you teaching those closest to you?
So anyways, the reason I tell you that story is because after I collected myself and they finished my grandmother’s pedicure, we went to lunch. While sitting at the table we would watch the other residences, some doing better than others. She began to talk to me about Heaven and what she imagined it would be like. Other times while she was in the hospital she told me that she thought a lot about Heaven and God, she would quote Scripture and talk about hymns that were special to her. I will never forget sitting at that lunch table, hearing my grandmother OVERFLOW about her relationship with God! That is a lasting legacy, not just of my grandmother, but of the greatness of God! Praise God for the precious souls of those who march before us and teach us what OVERFLOWING is really all about!
What are you teaching those closest to you?
Go!
Luke 10:3,9
“Go.” This small, miniature word has the power and ability to change the course of the planet. In less than a week, the world will unite in the Olympics, one of the most rigorous competitions ever designed and it will all start with the words, “On your mark, get set, GO!” For a teenager who is madly and deeply in love with the girl of his dreams, he longs for the answer to the question, “Will you GO to the prom with me?” For that patient who has been fighting cancer and has undergone treatments, they await the doctor’s prognosis, “You are good to GO! A heart can shatter in a wounded marriage, when one spouse tells the other, “You need to GO.” The world changes, and lives are defined by the word, GO.
Jesus understood the power of this potent word. In Luke chapter 10 verse 3, He appointed seventy people and gathered them to embark on a mission trip. They would leave two by two and proclaim the greatness of God but the word that would start this adventure was “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Can you just see, Jesus beaming ear to ear, as He looks out over these seventy people, and says, “On your mark, get set, GO reach the world!” But He was also careful to let them know, you will be like lambs and the world will desire to devour you like wolves. In my finite mind this does not make sense, why would Jesus send out these willing yet defenseless people to such an underdog battle? Praise God the answer is found in verse 9, “And heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
I have heard it said that, “Peace is the absence of war.” But I would beg to differ. Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “… My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heat be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” If peace is the absence of war and Jesus gives us His peace then why is there war all around us? No, peace is not the absence of war, rather, peace is the understanding that the kingdom of God has come near to you in the midst of the war! Praise God! We will encounter underdog moments and challenges but we do not have to worry because God is right there with us! The wolves will encircle us but His power, His presence, and His peace are OVERFLOWING our hearts and lives! Therefore, when we hear that life changing call of God to “GO,” buckle up, because it is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!
“Go.” This small, miniature word has the power and ability to change the course of the planet. In less than a week, the world will unite in the Olympics, one of the most rigorous competitions ever designed and it will all start with the words, “On your mark, get set, GO!” For a teenager who is madly and deeply in love with the girl of his dreams, he longs for the answer to the question, “Will you GO to the prom with me?” For that patient who has been fighting cancer and has undergone treatments, they await the doctor’s prognosis, “You are good to GO! A heart can shatter in a wounded marriage, when one spouse tells the other, “You need to GO.” The world changes, and lives are defined by the word, GO.
Jesus understood the power of this potent word. In Luke chapter 10 verse 3, He appointed seventy people and gathered them to embark on a mission trip. They would leave two by two and proclaim the greatness of God but the word that would start this adventure was “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Can you just see, Jesus beaming ear to ear, as He looks out over these seventy people, and says, “On your mark, get set, GO reach the world!” But He was also careful to let them know, you will be like lambs and the world will desire to devour you like wolves. In my finite mind this does not make sense, why would Jesus send out these willing yet defenseless people to such an underdog battle? Praise God the answer is found in verse 9, “And heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
I have heard it said that, “Peace is the absence of war.” But I would beg to differ. Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “… My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heat be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” If peace is the absence of war and Jesus gives us His peace then why is there war all around us? No, peace is not the absence of war, rather, peace is the understanding that the kingdom of God has come near to you in the midst of the war! Praise God! We will encounter underdog moments and challenges but we do not have to worry because God is right there with us! The wolves will encircle us but His power, His presence, and His peace are OVERFLOWING our hearts and lives! Therefore, when we hear that life changing call of God to “GO,” buckle up, because it is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!
Jesus Please Leave
Toward the beginning of His ministry, Jesus told Peter to go back out on the sea and to throw his nets in the water for a catch of fish. Peter did not really want too but he obeyed. The Bible tells us that when he pulled the nets back in, he had so many fish that he had to signal for help. Peter then turns to Jesus and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Jesus tells Peter not to be afraid but that he would now be a fisher for men.
Later in His ministry, Jesus comes upon a man who has been possessed by many demons. Jesus commands the demons to come out. They leave the man only to go into a flock of pigs which then run into the sea and drown. Those from the town, hearing about the pigs and the possessed man, come out to see what is going on. They see the man, no longer possessed and they see the shepherds standing there with no pigs. They become afraid so they turn to Jesus and beg Him to leave. Jesus turns to get back in His boat, but the man who had been freed of demons begs to come along. Jesus denied his request but tells him to return home and to tell everyone about all that God had done.
Two times Jesus was asked to leave by people who were afraid of their situation, once by Peter and once by the people of the town. The first time Jesus did not leave, the second time He got back in His boat and sailed away. So what is the lesson? What is Jesus teaching? Peter saw the greatness of God and was afraid because he knew he did not measure up. The people of the town saw the greatness of God but were afraid because they had to change their lifestyle. Peter feared the Lord, the people were afraid to make Him Lord! To Peter, He calls Him to serve. To the people of the town, He leaves. BUT NOT UNTIL HE EMPLOYEES A MISSIONARY. The man who had been freed was more than happy to OVERFLOW about the greatness of God!
All too often I find myself asking God to leave certain areas of my life. Sometimes it is because I do not measure up to His greatness, but other times it is because I do not want to change my lifestyle. Sometimes Jesus stays and other times Jesus will leave that area, but not until He has employed someone to OVERFLOW in my life and to encourage me to life-change! What about you? Do you fear and reverence God because He is so great? Or are you afraid of God because He is asking you to change? Are you willing to OVERFLOW into the lives of those around you? There is not greater calling!
Later in His ministry, Jesus comes upon a man who has been possessed by many demons. Jesus commands the demons to come out. They leave the man only to go into a flock of pigs which then run into the sea and drown. Those from the town, hearing about the pigs and the possessed man, come out to see what is going on. They see the man, no longer possessed and they see the shepherds standing there with no pigs. They become afraid so they turn to Jesus and beg Him to leave. Jesus turns to get back in His boat, but the man who had been freed of demons begs to come along. Jesus denied his request but tells him to return home and to tell everyone about all that God had done.
Two times Jesus was asked to leave by people who were afraid of their situation, once by Peter and once by the people of the town. The first time Jesus did not leave, the second time He got back in His boat and sailed away. So what is the lesson? What is Jesus teaching? Peter saw the greatness of God and was afraid because he knew he did not measure up. The people of the town saw the greatness of God but were afraid because they had to change their lifestyle. Peter feared the Lord, the people were afraid to make Him Lord! To Peter, He calls Him to serve. To the people of the town, He leaves. BUT NOT UNTIL HE EMPLOYEES A MISSIONARY. The man who had been freed was more than happy to OVERFLOW about the greatness of God!
All too often I find myself asking God to leave certain areas of my life. Sometimes it is because I do not measure up to His greatness, but other times it is because I do not want to change my lifestyle. Sometimes Jesus stays and other times Jesus will leave that area, but not until He has employed someone to OVERFLOW in my life and to encourage me to life-change! What about you? Do you fear and reverence God because He is so great? Or are you afraid of God because He is asking you to change? Are you willing to OVERFLOW into the lives of those around you? There is not greater calling!
Overflow, Overcome, Overshadow
Ps. 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God…”
Song of Songs 2:3 “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down…”
To experience an “overflow” you must be ‘overcome.’ To be overcome you must be ‘overshadowed.’ What do I mean by this? Well answer this question, when was the last time you were so enthralled with the greatness and majesty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that you were late for work? Not because you were worshiping to long at Bedside Baptist with pastor Sheets, but because you were paralyzed by the splendor of God.
I have often wondered what it must have been like for John, “The disciple whom Jesus loved,” when he was reclining at the table with Jesus and the other disciples. There he rested with his head against Jesus’ chest. I wonder what he heard, what he smelled, what he was feeling? To know that you are resting against the Son of God, that the beating you hear in your ears, is His heart pumping the blood that would soon be your salvation and forgiveness. He was simply still, knowing that this was God! Just thinking about this, I am overcome with a sense of awe. He is God and I am not, He holds my life in the palm of His hand and I am secure for eternity, and it is on His chest that I am resting! I wonder if John ever thought about that moment when he was receiving the Revelation on the island of Patmos. I wonder if he ever thought, “Hard times are coming but I have rested on the chest of God!” He was overcome!
I have also wondered what it must have been like for Mary, to be working around the house only to find that an angel stands in front of her with the message that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Can you imagine the insurmountable questions that must have raced through her head? Yet only one question made it out of her mouth, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” She spoke of the physical impossibility of this divine message only to hear the response, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” What fearful, excitement there must be to know that the power of God is going to overshadow you! Mary’s questions ceased and she simply said, “May it be done to me according to your word.” That was all she needed to know, that she was going to be overshadowed by God’s power. What else is needed? She was overshadowed!
So once again I ask the question, when was the last time you simply rested in the Overcoming presence of the Almighty, to the point you Overflowed with worship for His Overshadowing greatness? When was the last time you took great delight in His shadow, and sat down?
Song of Songs 2:3 “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down…”
To experience an “overflow” you must be ‘overcome.’ To be overcome you must be ‘overshadowed.’ What do I mean by this? Well answer this question, when was the last time you were so enthralled with the greatness and majesty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that you were late for work? Not because you were worshiping to long at Bedside Baptist with pastor Sheets, but because you were paralyzed by the splendor of God.
I have often wondered what it must have been like for John, “The disciple whom Jesus loved,” when he was reclining at the table with Jesus and the other disciples. There he rested with his head against Jesus’ chest. I wonder what he heard, what he smelled, what he was feeling? To know that you are resting against the Son of God, that the beating you hear in your ears, is His heart pumping the blood that would soon be your salvation and forgiveness. He was simply still, knowing that this was God! Just thinking about this, I am overcome with a sense of awe. He is God and I am not, He holds my life in the palm of His hand and I am secure for eternity, and it is on His chest that I am resting! I wonder if John ever thought about that moment when he was receiving the Revelation on the island of Patmos. I wonder if he ever thought, “Hard times are coming but I have rested on the chest of God!” He was overcome!
I have also wondered what it must have been like for Mary, to be working around the house only to find that an angel stands in front of her with the message that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Can you imagine the insurmountable questions that must have raced through her head? Yet only one question made it out of her mouth, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” She spoke of the physical impossibility of this divine message only to hear the response, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” What fearful, excitement there must be to know that the power of God is going to overshadow you! Mary’s questions ceased and she simply said, “May it be done to me according to your word.” That was all she needed to know, that she was going to be overshadowed by God’s power. What else is needed? She was overshadowed!
So once again I ask the question, when was the last time you simply rested in the Overcoming presence of the Almighty, to the point you Overflowed with worship for His Overshadowing greatness? When was the last time you took great delight in His shadow, and sat down?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)