I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!
Saturday, February 28, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, today is the day that New Life has rented one of the screens at the South Pike Cinema in Sarver to welcome folks to view The Passion of the Christ. I pray that You will draw people to attend the movie, particularly those that do not know You. I pray that You will use the viewing of the movie to convict all of us of the sin in our lives that caused Jesus to have to die in order to satisfy Your justice. I pray that You will draw people to Yourself through the viewing of the movie, and that the outpouring of love and commitment for Jesus that comes as a result of folks viewing the film will bring about a revival and a renewal across this land and ultimately to the ends of the earth. I pray that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may be a bolder witness to the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and coming again! All this I pray in Jesus’ name and for the sake of His coming Kingdom! Amen.
God's Word Today
John 6:35
35Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.
Thoughts... The Passion of the Christ
What does Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ have to do with Jesus’ words, “I am the bread of life?” It has everything to do with it. At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that the bread He shared with them at the meal was His body given for them—and given for us. Jesus willingly gave Himself to the Jewish leaders who game to arrest Him, and to the Roman officials who executed Him. Jesus’ life was not taken from Him. He offered it freely to redeem us from sin and death. When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” He meant it in the deepest and most amazing way. He is our sustenance day by day. We may not be aware of it at that level, with that consistency, but Jesus IS our daily bread, the bread of life, the bread GIVEN that we may have life in all its abundance.
If we are missing out on that life right now, it isn’t because the life has not been offered. Jesus offers the new life He died to purchase to anyone who will receive it. If we HAVE received it, then where’s the evidence in our daily lives? Are we more joyful? Do people recognize us as being different from the majority of folks who are out there just trying to make it from day to day, or who are grabbing for everything they can get, because they aren’t sure when the grabbing will end? Do we think, speak and act differently as a result of eating the bread of life. Has our hunger and thirst been satisfied? I ask so many questions, because I want us to realize that Jesus IS who He says He is—He is the “I Am.” Therefore, nothing is the same for any of us who have Him in our lives. As I write these words, my mind is on my upcoming trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Earlier today I was checking airfares, as my original plans to fly from Pittsburgh to Singapore round trip were changed by a brief conversation I had with Mark Geppert. He asked whether United could have me fly back from Bangkok, Thailand rather than having to fly to Singapore and then back to the U.S. I’ll admit that my knowledge of the geography of Southeast Asia isn’t what it ought to be. I had to get out my world map to see why Mark would want me to do that. I didn’t realize that it’s farther from Bangkok to Singapore than it is from Phnom Penh to Singapore—a lot farther! As I was going through the process, I got a knot in my stomach—some apprehension. I asked myself, “Why am I flying half way around the world again? Will it really make a difference? Aren’t there things I could do here that would make just as much of a difference?” Where do such questions come from? I believe they come from our Enemy—from Satan. Satan doesn’t want us to obey Jesus. He doesn’t want us eating the bread of life. What do I mean. Once Jesus was doing something that His disciples didn’t understand. He was talking to a Samaritan woman—carrying out cross cultural mission. They questioned Him about it. They thought He would have been better off eating His lunch. He told them, “I have food you do not know about.” They didn’t understand, so He explained further, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Our food is to do the will of Him who sent us—to do what Jesus calls us to do. Part of “eating” the bread of life is simply living in faithful obedience to our calling. For me, part of the calling is to go to Cambodia and Thailand. You don’t have to understand that, because it may not be part of your calling. What we must all understand, though, is that whether Jesus calls us to Clinton Township, or New York, or California, or South East Asia or wherever, our “food” our “bread” is to do what He calls us to do.
If we are to show the world the joy of living the abundant life, it will only come as we “eat” the bread of life, as we journey with Him wherever He leads. That means getting up each day and really fully and totally on Jesus. He may tell us to get back to work and give it 100% instead of just doing what will get us by. He may tell us it’s time to start or get involved in a ministry that we’ve never considered. He may simply tell us to “stay the course,” to keep doing what we’re already doing to His glory and honor.
In this life we are all going to do something. We are all going to live in some manner. Living with great faith in the bread of life takes no more energy than living in great doubt—and it’s a lot more meaningful, too! As we go about this day, what we think, say and do makes a difference. It makes an eternal difference for us and it may make an eternal difference for others as well, since how we live as Jesus’ followers impacts everyone around us. My prayer for each of us today is that we will eat our fill of the bread of life, so that we may not hunger or thirst for what is truly worthwhile—life that is truly life! Then from that position of “satisfaction” we may reach out and offer bread to those around us—those who are near and those who are far away. May God give us courage to eat deeply, to live fully, and to be a blessing to everyone in our sphere of influence, to His great glory and honor!
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