Because HE Does!
“They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.
(The Gospel According to Mark 8: 16-18 NASB)
And Jesus, aware of this, said to them,
“Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread?
Do you not yet see or understand?
Do you have a hardened heart?
HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE?
AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR?
And do you not remember,”
- How long does it take for us to forget the goodness of God’s provision?
- How much life must happen before we begin to complain, “Lord, this just isn’t fair?”
- When will we EVER learn & see & hear & recall—HOW GOD PROVIDES? !!!
At fifty-eight years of age, I have walked through many days of life here on earth. Maybe you are reading this and thinking: ‘I have you beat because I’m seventy-eight-years-old.” Quite possibly, you are reading this discourse and are quite the opposite because you are currently walking through your twenty-sixth year of life (quite a bit less than fifty-eight or seventy-eight).
However, here’s the point to consider: IT IS NOT THE YEARS OF LIFE THAT BUILD OUR FAITH BUT THE CLOSE WALK WITH GOD THROUGH OUR DAYS THAT BUILDS OUR FAITH!
There are many seasons of life when our faith seems strong, and quite possibly, these seasons coincide with times in our lives when everything seems to be going right. Our health is good, our bank account is full enough to pay our bills, our family is safe, our job is secure, and our family is getting along.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE TIMES WHEN OUR LIVES SEEM TO BE FALLING APART?
ARE THOSE THE SEASONS OF OUR LIVES WHEN OUR FAITH SEEMS TO DE-RAIL?
- Do we often forget how God has provided?
- Is our faith wispy, wimpy and even flimsy at times?
- Are our spiritual eyes weak?
Does the height, width, & breadth of our needs outsize the magnitude of the MEETER of our needs, OUR SAVIOR JESUS?
Jesus knew His disciples so well.
- He specifically chose them.
- He walked daily with them for three years.
- He conversed with them, shared time with them, and ate with them.
Jesus knew them—Well. &
Jesus knows us—Well—too.
PRAISE GOD—Because HE did & Because HE does—
The rhetorical questions asked by Jesus to His chosen ones that day (when they began to fear that they did not have bread for the day) served to remind them of the IMPORTANCE of FAITH.
Jesus said to His disciples:
“And do you not remember,
(The Gospel According to Mark 8: 18b-21 NASB)
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?
They said to Him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven for the four thousand,
how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?”
And they said to Him, “Seven.”
And He was saying to them,
“Do you not yet understand?”
LOOK back—
SEE with spiritual eyes—
RECALL with a faithful heart—
&
PRAISE THE PERFECTNESS OF JESUS!
- Thank You, Jesus, for being PATIENT with us whenever our situations seem larger than YOU!
- Thank You, Jesus, for NEVER CHANGING!
- Thank You, Jesus, for continuing to teach us day-by-day to TRUST YOU!
- Thank You, Jesus, for ALWAYS FAITHFULLY MEETING OUR NEEDS!
The evangelist Billy Graham wrote to define our faith like this.
“Our faith becomes stronger as we express it;
a growing faith is a sharing faith.
Pray now for those you know who need Christ,
and ask God to help you be a witness to them—by the life you live and words you speak.” (Hope for Each Day 2012)
We have been chosen by God to be His children, to be His servants, to be His disciples during our time here on earth. May we set forth some worthy goals for this 2025th year.
- Put God first every day.
- Obey God’s Word.
- Stay patient in trials.
- Walk in faith, not fear.
- Stay grounded in God’s Word.
- Love others as Jesus loves us.
- Witness to testify about the goodness of God.
- Trust His timing & not our own.
This morning, as I wrote, the Lord provided a song for me, one that I share with you & one that reminds us to have “A Little Faith.” Grab your earbuds, find this melody by Riley Clemmons and
PRAISE GOD—Because HE does—ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF OUR NEEDS!