Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9)
This is the continuation of our discipleship lessons at the fellowship on the theme “Blessings”.
We learned “Why Gaining Material Things Doesn’t Define ‘Blessing’“. We proceeded to deepen our understanding of ‘blessing’ based on John 6:23-71.
The testimony sharing every gathering made us realise that almost everyone labels ‘blessings’ the material things they acquired for working hard through their jobs. And the more materials things, the more blessed a person is, seemed to be the prevailing idea.
So we studied the statements of Jesus in John 6:23-71 to see whether or not we are really living the ‘blessed’ life.
Basing on what Jesus said, I listed the possible criteria for living the blessed life:
1. You do not work for food that spoils
Jesus said, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:27) to the people following him.
These people were part of the crowd of five thousand Jesus and the disciples fed.
I could just imagine the many selfies posted on social media had there been internet and Facebook at that time. I’m sure thousands of people holding bread and fish with chopsticks (or victory sign) fingers would be the viral photos with the caption “Blessings!” or “I’m really blessed”.
However, Jesus exposed their real motive that “you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill” (John 6:26).
So are you a Christian who wants to experience Jesus more and more or are you following him because you wanted to receive more ‘bread’ (slang: ‘money’)?
2. You understand and believe the one and only ‘Blessing’ comes from God and gives life.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33).
The bread that “comes down from heaven” and “gives life to the world” are the unique qualities of God’s real blessing who is Jesus Christ.
Are the ‘bread’ (the money you earn and things you buy) you label as ‘blessings’ that you testify in the fellowship or post on Facebook (and other social media) really “came down from heaven” as Jesus said in the verse above?
Do these ‘blessings’ you share about give life to those who are listening/reading?
Or do you make the listener/reader feel more deprived and unfortunate?
Please be clarified that there’s nothing wrong with sharing what you have accomplished or acquired, thanking God and the persons responsible for gaining them and giving all the glory to Him.
But to label them ‘blessings’ every time, won’t it devalue Jesus who is the real bread of life and our God who gives us the true bread from heaven?
Just when you thought you have nothing that would impress the material world, think about having the real bread of life – Jesus Christ.
Have the unwavering faith in God’s giving His Son Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord.
This faith grows stronger each passing day as you witness first hand the Mighty Hand of God in your life.
In my next blog post, I will add the third and last criteria. As this is one of the radical teachings of Jesus Christ, I will conclude with some practical examples.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Ross Waugh
I needed that. Thanks Lord.
Thank you Brother Joe for posting a comment.
We should be very careful about we call “blessings” > christians are so quick to announced their blessings and these are always about “stuff” like “oh we were blessed with such and such so we decided to buy a new car or go on a vacation. the reality is challenges and a hard clim are in themselves a blessing > IT IS ONLY NOW that the hardship that my parents have gone through PROVED TO BE A BLESSING for me >
For those who were around abraham, they might have been angry and almost at the point of killing him when he said “guys, we have to move to another place promised to me by God” > they must have reacted: “really? are you telling us to leave what we have built and move to another place uncertain of what will come along the way” > “come on, Abraham, please be real!” > in fact his cousin Lot did not go with him and instead settled in another place >
God sends us many blessings in many forms: challenges, trials, hardships and even pestilence > and we will never have the answer until we get to “cross the bridge” and reach the “promised land” > let us accept god’s revelation upon our lives with the humility to accept and the boldness to go when God’s calling is in front of us > this is true especially to us Christians when the WORLD calls us to dance to its own music.
Madamu guid nga salamat Jonan > kay pirme mo guid kami guina remind > daw si apostle Paul guid ikaw kag sa imo pag kamadinumdumun padayon kami nga nagapangita sa tadlong nga dalan sa amon kinabuhi.
Thank you Freddy for appreciating and most of all for providing additional insights through your comment. Salamat gid.
Enlightened! thanks Pastor Jonan! Preach on!
Thank you for appreciating and encouraging me. God bless you always!