Do we really believe what God says to be really real? 

Do we really believe what God does and is doing right now on our behalf? 

Do we really believe in His Son with all our hearts, minds, and souls with a desire to grow to be like Him?  

Do we really believe Jesus did indeed save us by forgiving us of all our sins when we ask in His Name?

What is it about Jesus that attracts us to Him, to be impressed by Him, and easily love Him back?  Is it the promise of being with us always?  Is it the peace that He gives us? 

Or is because of what we expect Him to do for us?

Am I different since I believe?

All these questions are good for self-examination.  Jesus already knows the outcome of the exam before we do.  His Holy Spirit prompts the exam so we see the work that still needs to be done in our lives!  It is reassuring to know that our God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit are patient with us as our faith builds and expands within us with His power.  God knows we cannot do this on our own—we need His help and He gives it—help that is beyond our abilities. 

God knows our hearts, see us from the inside out.  He knows we are not perfect but made a way for us to be forgiven.  Jesus is that Way.   As we examine our lives, beginning with what is in our hearts, may we lean into God’s Holy Spirit who convicts us to repent then provides us with the resurrection power to be transformed.  With each stage or phase of change we go through; we discover that living this new life is an exciting adventure of an ever-expanding faith that becomes who we are and guides what we do.

As we read the true stories of Jesus through His eye witnesses, we get a birds-eye view of how He grew the faith of His disciples.  We observe how each one responded to each new situation.  We watch how Jesus brought them into the process to solve problems for in doing so they became apprentices of a faith that lasts.  Jesus’ goal was not necessarily to teach how to feed a crowd but to expand their faith with how God provides for every life situation. 

These insiders who walked and talked with Him for three years learned by watching and participating in the power of Jesus that came from the Father which resulted in the expansion of their knowledge of God and solidified their building faith in God.  The disciples didn’t always get it the first time—but neither do we who have read the whole story from beginning to end!  Jesus’ disciples hang in there with a tenacious appetite to learn everything they can from their Master Teacher, the Bread of Life! 

John 6, The Message

Bread and Fish for All

^1-4 After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews.

^5-6 When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.”

^8-9 One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”

^10-11 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.

^12-13 When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.” They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.

^14-15 The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done. They said, “This is the Prophet for sure, God’s Prophet right here in Galilee!” Jesus saw that in their enthusiasm, they were about to grab him and make him king, so he slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by himself.

^16-21 In the evening his disciples went down to the sea, got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned. A huge wind blew up, churning the sea. They were maybe three or four miles out when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, quite near the boat. They were scared senseless, but he reassured them, “It’s me. It’s all right. Don’t be afraid.” So they took him on board. In no time they reached land—the exact spot they were headed to.

^22-24 The next day the crowd that was left behind realized that there had been only one boat, and that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. They had seen them go off without him. By now boats from Tiberias had pulled up near where they had eaten the bread blessed by the Master. So when the crowd realized he was gone and wasn’t coming back, they piled into the Tiberias boats and headed for Capernaum, looking for Jesus.

²⁵ When they found him back across the sea, they said, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs—and for free.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn from the final observation of Jesus in the last sentence of this passage; to be merely impressed with His miraculous ways, expecting Jesus to be the Santa Claus of never-ending gifts, we totally miss out knowing God, seeing God for Who He is with humbled praise and adoration of God.  “When’s the next show?”  “When’s the meal, my stomach is growling for more?”  As our attitudes reflect entitled thinking our faith stalls and stagnates. 

Jesus is so much more—more than enough for all our real and perceived needs.  Truthfully, Jesus knows what we need before we know we need it! 

Jesus is the Only Way to the Father who longs for us to love Him back!  Jesus is Truth in a world filled with lies and unkept promises.  Jesus is Life who provides new Life to us.  This reborn, New Life is alive and active, expectant, generous, growing and expanding as His love, mercy, and grace rejuvenates and refreshes us daily!

“’It’s me. It’s all right. Don’t be afraid.’ So they took him on board. In no time they reached land—the exact spot they were headed to.”  With Jesus, we will reach our destination!

As we continue reading the gospels, we get a ringside seat to watch God do a “new thing” through His Son, Jesus. We remember the prophets’ words:  The former things pass away and all things are made new…God doesn’t remember our past, he gives us a fresh start. Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

We read and readily observe how the disciples’ faith begins to produce perseverance as they follow Jesus.  Their new tenacious faith develops endurance through all kinds of trials—in all but one of the Twelve—and becomes the path to new beginnings!  Perseverance is the pathway to a new start because a new beginning often requires patience.  James 5:11 says, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the LORD finally brought about. The LORD is full of compassion and mercy.”  God’s characteristics grow in us as our faith in Him expands!

A new beginning can start right where you are.  A new beginning awaits anyone who is willing and wanting to make Jesus Christ the Lord of their life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

There are things to do and places to go! “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are.  Romans 8:15-16, MSG

Lord,

Cleanse my heart.  Remove all that does not belong.  Renew my mind in ways that transforms my behaviors.  Refresh my soul with your new mercies for this day.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within me.  Change me from the inside out as I seek you.  I love you, Lord, with all that is within me.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and care as you grow and expand my enduring faith in You.  I’m yours.

In Jesus Name, Amen