Faith of a child

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Jo 6:1-15

3 approaches to solve a problem

1. Phillip - The rationalist, uses reason and says - this is impossible, no chance

2. Andrew - impericism(?). the scientific approach to life - deals with the facts of life- deals with what we can see, smell, taste, touch, and feel

3. the little child - the least actor, but the greatest because he's willing to give what he's got. Children have a tendency to believe. Jesus said elsewhere a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Children act on faith.

When faced with an impossible situation, surrender to the Lord all that you have. The child voluntarily gave his lunch. The Bible doesn't say that Andrew grabbed him in a choke hold and snatched his lunch away from him. He freely gave his lunch to Jesus. Why? He came to see Jesus, and Jesus is asking for his lunch and if He wants to eat it... well, whatever He wants to do with it.

The Lord took a little and He gave thanks and it turned into a lot. If you start giving thanks for what you have, you will find that what you have will go further than what you thought. Graditude tends to multiply. We have so much, but we appreciate so little.

When God told Moses he would be used to free the children of Israel, Moses said - I'm nothing. God says - Right. That's just what I need. God takes zeros and turns them into heros. God looks for the weak, frail, humble, and He takes them like He takes that bread and when you surrender your life in His hands, you become a giant among men. See Judges 6:11-16 - v. 11 - Gideon's a young man; the country's under Midianite oppression; he's terrified; and he's threshing out his wheaties for his morning breakfast, hoping he doesn't get caught. v. 12 - Gideon must have looked around to see who He was talking about. Who's this mighty man of valor? This illistrates that God doesn't look at you as you are. Just as Jesus Christ knew what He was going to do with the loaves and fish, He knows what He's going to do with you. Surrender yourself into His hands, and He will take you and give thanks for you and begin to multiply you and you'll become something you never dreamed you could. v. 13 - "Why? Where's God?" - ever said anything like that? He hasn't forsaken you, just confronted you with an impossible situation to test you. He doesn't want you to be a Phillip and try to reason it out, nor and Andrew and figure out the facts. He wants you to be humble enough to be like that little child and say, "Lord, this is all I am. I am what I am by the grace of God. This is all I've got and I surrender it to You because You know what You're going to do. v. 14 - What strength? - probably what Gideon was thinking. God replies "have I not sent you?" - same thing He said to Moses. v. 15 - that's perfect for God; that's just what He's looking for. see the rest of the story in Jud. 7. This is how God works - He works against all odds.

Back to Jo 6 - v. 13 - The disciples get food for the road. If you allow God to bless others thru you, there's going to be plenty of blessing left over. Don't ever try to get yours first. Put others first. Be concerned for the people around you and you'll be amazed at how much is left over. v. 15 - There's a lot of wrong reasons to seek God. People in their difficulties will seek God becaude they want Him to be their bandaid, to offer an immediate solution - Fix my problem! There's something God's more concerned about fixing than your problem - YOU. The biggest problem you have looks back at you from the mirror every day. You're either your greatest ememy , or your greatest friend, next to the Lord Jesus Christ, and that depends on where you stand with Him. It depends on what you allow Him to do with your life.

As you consider what LJC is able to do with bread, He can do a lot more with you. It requires one thing - the faith approach of a child. If you become as a little child, if you're able to humble yourself and say, - I don't have the answers; I'm not very bright; I don't know everything, but I know the person who does. And He knows what He wants to do with me and my situation, and the best thing I can do is simply hand myself over to Him and surrender my life to Him and watch Him take me - weak as I am, as with all the great people thru history, and out of my weakness and foolishness and my frailty and my failures, watch Him make a masterpiece of a life that is gonna count for all eternity. The choice is yours. What He will do with you is exactly what you allow Him to do. That's where freedom comes is - He'll never do it unless you voluntarily surrender.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved - Ac 16:31

-- (bygrace@thru.faith), August 02, 2000

Answers

yup-just jump in his lap-&-take a nap!!!!!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), August 03, 2000.

That was nice, thanks.

-- (blessed@person.too), August 03, 2000.

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