Anticipating Andrew, Pessimistic Philip

Today's passage:  John 6:1-27
     "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21
     God must have really wanted us to learn something from the feeding of the five thousand.  He wants us to learn something from everything He has put in His Word, but this is one of the miracles that appears in all four gospels.  Since this is one of the few that carries that distinction, I'm thinking that there is something particular that He wants us to know. 
     I think God shows us two types of people in this passage.  Most of us fall into one of these two categories.  Sometimes in life, we are one, then the other.  Sometimes we waver in between.  The disciples are faced with a crowd (probably bigger than any gathered up to this point) of tired and hungry people.  They had gathered on a hillside not so much to hear Jesus preach, but to see Him perform miracles.  The passage says that it is near Passover time, so I can guess that the weather was already warm.  Maybe the breeze blowing off the sea of Galilee was a help, but with so many people in close proximity, it would have been perfect fainting weather.  Even if there had been a market close by (and what an opportunity for a food vendor) how would they ever transport enough food to this large crowd?
     Jesus asks Philip what they should do about this problem?  Philip says that even if they worked two hundred days, that would not be enough money to purchase food for all these people.  Ever meet a Philip?  A that-can't-be-done, nothing-will-work, might-as-well-give-up Philip?  I'm sure you have, because to be truthful, I think we have all been Philips from time to time.  I know I have.  Philip could only see the problems, he couldn't see the solutions.  He could not see the Solution Giver.  Philips do not have enough faith to get the task done. A Philip does not trust himself on the task, and he rarely trusts anyone else.
     Then there is Andrew.  Andrew sees the problem and he comes up with a solution.  He is hesitant about presenting this solution because how can it help, but it is a solution all the same.  Ever meet an Andrew?  A get-it-done, that-might-work, go-to-it Andrew?  I have.  People enjoy being around Andrews.  Except for the pessimist who is always bothered with Andrew's silver lining, rose-colored glasses view of the world.  His sunny disposition grates on a Philip's nerves.  Andrew did not know he had a solution to a problem, he just trusted Jesus with the solution he presents.  Andrews have faith in people.  An Andrew trusts himself as well as other people.  I wish I was more like Andrew.  I try to be like Andrew.  I want to have faith.  I want to believe.  I want to anticipate the great things God can do in my life.


The Disciples Distributed the Loaves and Fish--Taken from Standard Bible Story Readers, Book Two
By Lillie A. Faris,  Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1925

      I think there is a further lesson in this passage.  Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fishes and the disciples have distributed this food (can you imagine how long that must have taken?)  After everyone has had his fill, Jesus has the disciples collect up any leftovers (the disciples would have been worn out after this day, but God's work can be exhausting).  Jesus says, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost."  This is the only account of this miracle that records these words.  The obvious lesson is that God wants us to be good stewards, He does not want us to be wasteful.  But there is so much more in these words.  When the disciples collect all the remaining food, it is enough to fill twelve baskets.  Now I don't know how big the baskets were, but even if they were small baskets, that is quite a lot of food left over.  God will always give us more than we need.  When we place our faith and trust in Him (as Andrew did) He will never disappoint us.  He will equip us to overflowing.  He will furnish us with more than we asked for.  The verse I quoted in Ephesians uses words such as abundant and exceeding.  I picture a Thanksgiving cornucopia spilling out with food.  God gives us so much more than we ask.  When we come to Him for salvation, He not only gives us eternal life, but He gives us the Holy Spirit to work in us, He gives us joy and all the other fruits of the Spirit (a fruit basket, you might say), He gives us His power, He gives us His grace, mercy, forgiveness.  He is so good to me.  How can I ever be a Philip when I have such a powerful God?  How can I ever be pessimistic when He has shown me all that He can do? 
     Lord, help me to be like Andrew every day.  I have no idea what problems I may face, but they are never bigger than You.  Help me to look for solutions, not because I can solve the problems, but because I know You can.  Help me to never forget what You can do, through me, and for me.  Help me to remember that You will never meet my expectations, but exceed them every time.

Sin Stinks

Today's passage: I Kings 5
This week we have been having 8 day revival at our church.  We are only the second day in, and God has enriched my spirit.  Sunday night's message dealt with Elisha and Naaman.  The message was tremendous.  While the speaker was preaching, God brought a different thought for this passage to my mind.  Although, I'm sure it has been taught as such many times before, this was the first time God had impressed it on my heart.  As the preacher was describing the horrors of leprosy, I was reminded that leprosy in the Bible many times symbolizes sin.  The speaker described the bandages to wrap the affected leprous parts and referred to the verse in Isaiah 64:6, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...".  He suggested that the filthy rags were as those of a leprous person.  Not a pleasant picture, of course, but that certainly gives us a better view of how God sees our attempt to cover our sin.  I was thinking about the unpleasantness of leprosy.  Once a person has the disease, there is no cure.  The disease begins to isolate the carrier from loved ones.  It smells, it erodes, it destroys.  Isn't this indeed the picture of sin?  We cannot be rid of our sin.  We carry it with us wherever we go.  It does awful things to us and other people.  Basically, sin stinks.  Too many of us, like Naaman think we can do something about our sin.  Like Naaman, we succumb to our pride and want to do it our own way.

Naaman goes to Israel for healing from leprosy--Taken from Standard Bible Story Readers, Book  Three
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
Standard Publishing Company, 1926

 Naaman learned if he truly wanted to be rid of this dreaded disease, he would need to do things God's way.  Why couldn't he cleanse himself in the rivers of Damascus?  Because God said he must do it this way.  Why should he dip himself seven times when once should suffice?  Because God said this is the way it must be done.  Why shouldn't I trust in the good things I have done to get to Heaven?  Because God says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."  Some may say, "That's too easy. " It isn't too easy.  It is the hardest thing to do.  Why? I must recognize that I am an awful sinner (and not one of us wants to admit that we are no good, even though we know it is true).  I must recognize that the good things  I have used to try and disguise or cover up my sin are like the smelly, disgusting, leprous rags Naaman would have worn, and why would anyone, let alone a Holy God accept them as atonement? Would any of us want somebody's used Band-Aid?  Like Naaman, I must humble myself before a holy, loving God, admit I can't do it myself, that my righteousness isn't enough (because I have none) and trust only in the righteousness that God provided through the death, burial, and resurrection of His precious Son, Jesus Christ. And what will transpire when I do this?  Just as Naaman finally humbled himself and dipped the seventh time in the Jordan River, he came up with skin that was not just clean, but as the preacher pointed out, "like unto the flesh of a little child".  The preacher reminded us that Naaman was a soldier,  his skin was undoubtedly covered not only with leprosy, but with war scars.  His skin was probably leathery from the elements.  God didn't just heal Naaman, he miraculously changed him.  What God could do for us, if we just let Him!  God can heal us from the stench of leprosy, he can take away the stink of our sin.