Keeping Jesus at the Center

The only miracle recorded in all four gospels is the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitudes with a few small fish and a handful of bread. It was an extraordinary miracle all right because Jesus took the lunch of a small boy and multiplied it sufficiently to feed thousands of people. He simply took the boy’s lunch and gave thanks and distributed it to his disciples who in turn distributed to the multitude. Even after all the people had eaten, there were 12 basketfuls left over (John 6:1-12).

The Apostle John calls Jesus’ miracles signs because he believes these miracles are sign posts pointing us to Jesus. All human beings are attracted to extraordinary happenings. Just look at how people follow the sports and Hollywood stars. Even within Christianity miracles grab people’s attention, and whoever performed the miracle can claim instant fame. John clearly saw miracles differently than most. He saw them as simple sign posts that point us to the real thing—the ultimate miracle worker—the Son of God.

Paul Tripp does a fine job of illustrating the absurdity of falling in love with the miracle and never pursing the miracle worker. A sign simply points to what it was made for, the place or person you want to find. Nobody taking a vacation to Chicago stops at the first sign and believes they have arrived at the destination. They don’t say, “We’re here kids, unpack the car.” You keep driving until you get to the actual destination.^[i]

The people who experienced the miracle of the feeding of the 500 did just this. They thought the miracle was the destination. The next day they found Jesus and wanted more bread, more miracles. Jesus, however, didn’t give them anymore. Instead he confronted their erroneous view of the miracle and told them they were searching for bread that will perish and never satisfy (John 6:21-36). Just think about this for a moment, could anything be more tragic than these people who experienced the miracle but didn’t see the sign to keep following Jesus.

Jesus is the destination. He is the reason for living. Whatever good happens—even if it is miraculous, remember it is just a sign to keep following Jesus. He is our savior and our soon coming king. There is no other. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). The satisfaction we all long for in life comes from Jesus.

---

[i] Tripp, Paul David (2000-01-01). War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Kindle Locations 1707-1714). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition.

A Remedy for Anxiety

Anxiety is more common to humanity than any of us care to admit. No one is exempt, not even money or fame can place you beyond the reach of anxiety. From an early age all of us begin to experience the feelings that create the state of being anxious. Some, of course, more than others because they are raised in homes where conflict is a way of life and there is very little conflict resolution. These feelings of anxiety come for a host of different reasons, from things not going our way, to being mistreated or insulted or neglected. Interestingly, the older we get the more anxiety we are prone to experience. Anxiety is nothing new because Solomon in his book of Ecclesiastes gives us some good advice on how to lessen our anxiety.

Solomon said, “So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless” (Eccl 11:10). He knows from experience that our world in its broken state brings us loss and many troubles. He tells us to cast off these troubles. In other words, rather than dwelling on what has happened to us, which usually perpetuates the problem, cast it off. This is done by giving it to God.

The Apostle Peter tells us to do this: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The very act of casting our anxieties on the Lord means that we are asking for his assistance and trusting him to help us. It means that we are refusing to be tormented any longer by the loss or irritation that has come to us.

The Apostle Paul actually gave us a spiritual recipe for dealing with anxiety. First, we start by counting our blessings and learning to see the good instead of the loss. Secondly, we learn to act right regardless of how we feel. Thirdly, we commit to God in prayer all our worries and anxieties. Fourthly, as a result of having done that, we receive peace that transforms us to be capable of enjoying life. Fifthly, we train our thinking to be on things that are true and uplifting. Phil 4: 4-9:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

If more people followed this Biblical method for peace and sanity, there would be less depression and less people on drugs, and a whole lot less sadness in the world. There would be a better quality of life for everyone who cast their anxiety away and trust God for peace. Youth is so temporal and fleeting—to not realize this is to not have a grip on reality. Solomon says, enjoy life and don’t let anxiety rob you of enjoying life. He says don’t be saddened by the loss of youth because it is part of life. Instead, enjoy life because you belong to God at whatever age you find yourself.