What are you expecting from God?

 

2010 is drawing to an end and 2011 is already showing up at the horizon. As usual, many of us will sit and think about all the wishes we had expressed at the same time last year, some of us with satisfaction, some others with a hint of sadness.

Even if it is just an unavoidable ritual to some, end of year wishes are generally a way to pray that the divine providence would grant a favor or two, to those to whom they are intended. And most of the time, we also wish the same for us.

One day that Jesus was on His way to Jericho, He was stopped by the desperate cries of a blind beggar who would not let anyone calm him down: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! " Jesus said to him: "What do you want me to do for you? " and the blind man answered, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." (Mark 10:47,48-51)

What would your answer be, if the Lord were to ask you today, what you would like Him to do for you in 2011?

The Bible declares that, “The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.” (Matthew 10:41).

At Christmas, I invited us to ask ourselves the question of who is Jesus for us, and to respond to it accordingly. If the Jesus you know is just a prophet, He will reward you as a prophet in 2011. If your Jesus is just a healer, you will receive the healer’s reward. If He is only a great Master, you will get the Master’s reward. But I do hope He is a lot more than just that to you…

 

However, although it is not bad to ask., especially to He who said: ‘‘Ask, and it will be given to you…for everyone who asks receives…’’, why not do things differently this time?

And what if, for a change, we don’t come to God with the list of all our desiderata, but bring Him instead, the list of what we would like to do for Him in 2011, only begging to be granted the grace and the strength to accomplish them? If there is more blessed to give than to receive, it is also more blessed to give to God than to receive from Him. What if the Lord is also expecting something from us? Paul, the apostle, dared asking Him the question:

“Both trembling and being astonished he said, Lord, what do You desire me to do? And the Lord said to him, Rise up and go into the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” (Acts 9:6, LITV)

He had his personal agenda and was en route to Damascus to execute it when God brutally stopped him. After realizing what the Lord wanted, he agreed to change his plans.

God doesn’t have to arrest us so dramatically, to finally care about what He desire for us. 2011 is a tremendous opportunity to take the lead: let’s grab it.

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

 

Happy New Year, 2011

Who is He to you ?

It is not today that Jesus became a topic of controversy and polemic. There is indeed a biblical scene that has always made me think deeply. The disciples had already been with the Lord for a while - maybe 2 years, maybe a little bit less or more; - they had eaten with Him, prayed with Him, listened to Him as He taught the crowds, He had privately explained the secrets of the Kingdom to them, they had witnessed healing, resurrection and multiplication miracles; they had seen Him cast demons out and even rebuke the elements of nature. In short, they were the best-placed to know who Jesus was. After having just multiplied 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish for almost 10,000 people (4000 men without counting women and children), they left for Caesarea. 

When they got there, Jesus wanted to know what people were saying in the villages about Him. The disciples said the opinions varied between those who believed He was Jeremiah or one of the prophets or John the Baptist and those who believed He was Elijah. It is worth noting that the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi, ends with the promise of the return of Prophet Elijah, before the Great Day of the Lord.

After listening to them, Jesus said : ‘‘Ok, all this is fine; but unlike you, these people do not know Me, they don’t share My intimacy, they have not left everything for Me. You, My own, you who are with Me all the time, who do you say that I am? ’’ 

Matthew 16:13-17, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. »

And, here is what baffles me: only one was able to answer the question correctly. The remaining eleven could have at least said: ‘‘You are the Son of Man.’’ For Jesus had said: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 

 

Andrew could have answered: ‘‘You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’’ Because upon that declaration, he left John the Baptist to follow Him. Philip could have repeated: « You are the One of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph’’ and Nathanael could have added: ‘‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’’ (John 1:35-49).

In any case, even if they had said so, it would have only been a lips’ confession: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8) And many are those who believe like that: from the tip of their lips. They can recite many bible verses but when things go deeper, they remain silent. Yet, what it takes here is more than just confessing with our mouth: faith must spring forth from the heart. Yes, the true confession must come forth from the heart. Indeed, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romains 10:9-10, ESV.

Thus, only Peter answered, one disciple out of twelve! This suggests that in any given Christian congregation, there is only a bit more than 8% of the members who really know the Lord; the rest (92%) follow… Anyway, Peter alone answered and answered well because he spoke by revelation. 

The knowledge that we have of Jesus cannot and should not be based on what others tell us about Him: such a knowledge will not last long. Nobody, I repeat nobody -neither me, nor a priest, nor a pastor nor even a book - can make you know who Jesus is. People have read the New Testament and still don’t understand anything about Him. Some have warmed church pews for years and still have no clue as to who He is: Jesus can neither be known nor comprehend through flesh or blood, but by divine revelation.

 

Jesus himself failed to convince the people of his time of who He was, by simply telling them so: 

Luke 22:67-68, “If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer.” 

John 10:22-27, “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” 

They can tell you everything about Him, and you can read all about Him ; but as long as the breath of the Spirit of God will not ride on those words to open the eyes of your heart and mind that you may see and know, there will always be some distance between the Christ and you. 

Jesus regularly asks us the same question, "But who do you say that I am?" ‘‘You who invited Me into your life 20 years ago and you who have been walking with me for 2 years, and you who have been speaking of Me to others for 10 years: who do you say I am?’’ 

The nature of the presents that the Magi came to offer to the infant Jesus, revealed that they knew whom they were dealing with. Their gifts were a testimony that they had received a specific revelation from above, concerning that child-King, Priest and God. 

‘‘You who invited Me into your life 20 years ago and you who have been walking with me for 2 years, and you who have been speaking of Me to others for 10 years: who do you say I am? ’’ 

It is not all to know who He is; one must first and foremost act in accordance with what one knows of Him. 

 

Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a chief among the Jews, came to Jesus by night and told Him: ‘‘…"Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one can perform these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."’’ (John 3:2) 

We know: we the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees (maybe the people as well). We know that You have come from God as a teacher…Since they knew, why were they spending their time fighting Him? They would acknowledge Him at night and ferociously oppose Him by day! 

 

Who is Jesus to you? What do you do with what He is to you? How do you relate it to your DAILY life? Why not open yourself to the Spirit of God and allow Him to reveal Jesus afresh to you? 

Beyond disputes around the actual day of birth of the Lord, Christmas is the day that Christianity has set aside to commemorate the fact that Jesus Christ was born and actually appeared one day on the land of the living. Why not take advantage of the Nativity festivities, to let Him be (re)born anew in your heart? If you ardently desire it, He will reveal Himself and make Himself mightily known to you. It is up to you… 

 
Merry Christmas !

The hands…

A friend of mine sent the following to me by email. I found it very edifying and decided to share it with you. I have modified it a little, but I have kept the most essential bit. I dare hope that a second reading will do as much good to those who had already read it than to those who are seeing it for the first time.

 
A basket ball in my hands is worth 20.000 CFA francs ($40); but in Michael Jordan’s hands, it is worth $33 millions: everything depends on the hands that hold it. 

A paintbrush in my hands is worth a few hundred or few thousand CFA francs; but a paintbrush in the hands of Van Gogh is millions of dollars: everything depends on the hands that hold it. 

A tennis racket doesn't amount to much in my hands; but in the hands of Venus Williams, it is worth millions of dollars: everything depends on the hands holding it. 

A rod in my hands will be used to pick berries; but in the hands of Moses, it will do miracles and part the sea into two: everything depends on the hands holding it. 

A sling in my hands is nothing more than a toy; but it is a fearsome weapon in the hands of David: everything depends on the hands using it. 

Two small fish and five loaves of bread in my hands, will be used to feed 2 or 3 people; but in the Lord’s hands, thousands will eat and be fully satisfied: everything depends on the hands that use them. 

Nails in my hands will make a bench or a chair; but in the hands of Jesus, they will bring forth the salvation of humanity: everything depends on the hands in which they find themselves. 

 

As we can see, it all depends on hands doing the job. Let’s then put our concerns, our fears, our obstacles, our family, our relationships, our ambitions, our projects…in short, let’s put our lives in the Hands of God because…EVERYTHING depends on the hands in which EVERYTHING is.

 

And now that this message has found his way into your hands, what are you going to do? Do not forget: everything depends on the hands hold it! ;-)

 

 
Happy end of the week!

Lessons from the multiplication of bread

The Bible mentions two episodes of bread’s multiplication. The first is about 5000 men and can be found in the 4 gospels (Mathew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6) while the second which is about 4000 men, is only reported by Mathew 15. 

When we put together the different accounts of the first episode, this is the story that we get: 

Luke 9:10, ‘‘On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.

Mark 6:31-32, And He said to them, You yourselves come apart into a deserted place, and rest a little. For those coming and those going were many, and they did not even have opportunity to eat. And they departed by boat into a deserted place apart.

John 6:1-2, After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

Mark 6:34, And going out, Jesus saw a large crowd, and had pity on them, because "they were as sheep having no shepherd." And He began to teach them many things.

Luke 9:11-12, … and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the 12 came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place."

Matthew 14:16, But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."

Mark 6:37, … And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"

John 6:7, Philip answered him, "200 denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."

Mark 6:38, And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "5, and 2 fish."

John 6:8-9, One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but what are they for so many?"

Luke 9:13, …"We have no more than 5 loaves and 2 fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."

Matthew 14:18, And He said, Bring them here to Me.

John 6:10, Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about 5000 in number.

Mark 6:40-43, So they sat down in groups, by 100s and by 50s. And taking the 5 loaves and the 2 fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the 2 fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up 12 baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.

Matthew 14:21 And those who ate were about 5000 men, besides women and children. »

 

On their return… They were coming back from the famous mission where they had been sent by Jesus to cast demons out, heal the sick and preach the Kingdom of God in the villages. It had been a great success and they had just finished reporting to the Lord Who, noticing they had not yet eaten, offered them to retire to a desolate place and get a bit of rest.

 

1) We have to learn to take a break.

Even God rested on the seventh day and we are not more robust than Him. Some men and women of God are ministry junkies who hardly take time for a little respite. Yet, the ministry will not cease and there will always be all sorts of needs; it is important to run away from people’s coming and going for a while, in order to be physically and spiritually restored.

 

2) We tend to easily give up on our responsibilities.

A crisis arose. There were about 10.000 people or more, to feed (5000 men, without counting the women and the children). The day was wearing away and there didn’t seem to be any resource. The disciples thus took the initiative to tell Jesus to send the crowd away. And, since Jesus was not aware of it, they also took advantage into letting Him know they were in a deserted place!

Anyway, to their utter dismay, Jesus asked them to feed the people themselves. They had walked long enough with Him to know He would never say anything lightly; yet, they started arguing: ‘‘Should we go and buy what they need to eat ourselves?’’ ‘‘200 denarii worth of bread would not be enough to feed them…’’ etc.

These men had just casted demons out, healed the sick and preached the Kingdom but they did not have a solution to a material need! We are usually at ease with the ‘spiritual’ side of the ministry, the side where it only takes a few words or a few laying-on of hands; but when it comes to putting our hand into our pocket, when it comes to using our personal resources, when our purses are concerned, it becomes another story: our zeal quickly fades away and we do our best to convince the Lord that the task is impossible and has to be abandoned.

The Gospel has a deep social dimension and the Church must be able to answer people’s material needs or will seem irrelevant.

 

3) The need is the proof of the solution.

Another lesson is: we can take care of many issues without having to run to God. According to 1Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation (trial) has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation (trial) he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it.” The unexpected arrival of a crisis is the proof, the demonstration that we also have its solution in our hands. 

In front of the Red Sea, Moses simple shepherd’s rod was the mean through which the waters parted to let the Israelites walk dry.

A log was what it took to sweeten the waters of Marah (Exodus 15:23-25).

A little bit of flour was enough to destroy the wild gourds’ poison in the sons of the prophets’ stew (2Kings 4:39-41)

The jar of oil that was left to the widow was the starting point of a lucrative business. It helped her to pay her debts off and to live with her son (2Kings 4:1-7).

 

4) The need is the proof that what we have is more than enough.

Not only do we have the solution, but what we have is actually ALL we need to find our way out. Most of the time, either we are not conscious of what we possess, or we don’t want to abandon what we have. If we were more sensitive to the needs around us, we would see more miracles. I mean that instead of looking at those needs saying:  ''Oh, what a pity; if only I had this or that, I could have done this or that for you; but since I have nothing, let’s pray…'' if we’d rather say: ''Oh, it’s so good I am here; here is what I have, also bring what yours and let us present it to the Lord,'' we would witness a lot more often all the ways that God wants to use to surprise us.  

God asked Moses: ''What is that in your hand? '' (Exodus 4:2) Failing to realize that we have something in our hand is synonymous to doubting and underestimating it, is a sign of ungratefulness. Let us learn to appreciate and to give thanks for the seeds of miracles that we already possess. 

If anybody asks you what you have to start your business, what you have to sort out the mess in which you have found yourself, do not say: ‘‘I have nothing’’, you would be cursing yourself. Saying you have nothing is tantamount to accusing God of giving you nothing. Besides, since you are confessing that you have nothing (or are nothing), well, you will have nothing (be nothing). Indeed, 0 x whatever = 0 (always): the Lord doesn’t multiply nothing. On the other hand, 1 x whatever = whatever: the multiplication has started. 

Everything we have, can be multiplied by the Lord, if only we are ready to entrust Him with it. 

 

Imagine what would have happened if nobody had been willing to give his loaf of bread or his fish, saying : '‘It is worthless; it will be like a drop of water in the ocean.’' Isn’t the ocean made of trillions of droplets of water?

May you be a tangible solution to a problem or two, this week: God bless you!

How was Jesus praying?

About a year ago, I spent some time studying the manner of prayer of the Lord. The posting on “Our Father in Heaven,’’ also proceeded from those researches. This is what I found: 

 

1. Jesus prayed (and lived) according to God’s will.
 

I know the insistence I have to always come back to the will of God can become tedious for some, but I can’t help it: in my opinion, there is nothing more important than that. It helps us to discern what is good, pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2). Paul was constantly praying that the Colossians be filled with the knowledge of the will of God, because he knew it was a token of spiritual wisdom and intelligence (Colossians 1:9). 

Jesus used to say: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work… I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me… For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Indeed, ‘‘…Coming into the world, He (Christ) says, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You prepared a body for Me. You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices concerning sins." "Then I said, Lo, I come, in the heading of the Book it was written concerning Me, to do Your will, O God."” (John 4:34, 5:30 & 6:38; Hebrews 10:5-7) 

“As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just …’’ In other words, ‘as I hear My Father communicate His will to Me, I speak and I cannot be wrong because I do not seek My will but His.’ His requests were systematically granted because He lived for and always prayed according to His Father’s will. In fact, ‘‘God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him… And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (John 9:31 & 1John 5:14-15) 

He only needed to know God wanted to heal X, to tell X: ‘‘I want it: be healed.” He only had to be sure His Father was indeed sending Him to set free some demon-possessed Gadarenes, to know He could not be shipwrecked on His way there and thus, confidently rebuke the tempest with coolness and nerve (Mathew 8:24-28). 

It is possible to have the same assurance when we speak to our life circumstances and when we tell certain things to people, if only we could take time to know the will of God concerning those things. 

 
2. Jesus lifted up His eyes and gave thanks.
 

He almost never petitioned. On one rare occasion when He asked for something, He requested that the Passion Cup be taken away from Him; but even then, He thrice concluded His query saying, He would rather have the will of God fulfilled than His own desire (Mathew 26:39,42,44). The rest of the time, He would simply lift His eyes up to the sky and give thanks. 

Luke 9:16, “ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, looking up to Heaven, He blessed them...’’

Marc 6:40-41, “…So the people sat down in rows, in groups of a 100 and groups of 50. Then Jesus took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God…”

John 11:41-43, ‘‘And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."”

He lifted up His eyes and looked up to Heaven:

· As a sign of submission,
· As a sign of dependence,
· As a sign of obedience
· And to check one last time, that He really had the go-ahead to act.

He gave thanks to God: For He knew the result in advance: “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ” (Mark 11:24) He could thank in advance because He had the strong assurance that what He was hoping for would soon be materialized. He gave thanks for the granting, knowing His Father could not let Him down. 

He was not doing it as if He was mechanically reciting a magic formula learnt by heart: His ‘thank You’ came from the bottom of His soul. He said thanks because He was already truly in possession of what He had asked for. 

We don’t give thanks with the same confidence because we are generally not certain to receive what we have asked for: we doubt. But the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, being driven by wind and being tossed; for do not let that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7). It is only the one who doesn’t doubt in his heart who will be able to see what he wishes for, fulfilled (Mark 11:23).

 

‘‘In everything be thankful, because this is God's will in Christ Jesus for you.’’ (1Thessalonians 5:18)

‘‘For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.’’ (Hebrews 10:36) 

Being grateful, being fully conscious of one’s total dependence to God and, striving to know His will and live according to it: that is the recipe for Jesus’ prayer life. 

Have a wonderblessed week and may the desires of your heart be granted.