09.2 John – Not in the same place

The people asked Jesus “when did you get here?”  His response was to highlight to them that they, actually, were not in the same place.

Jesus was fully in the will of His Father.  Jesus’ entire reason for living on the earth was to be obedient to the Father.  As He said, His food was to do the will of the Father.

The people who approached Jesus were in a completely different place.  They were looking for a snack.  They wanted something to tied them over.  Jesus was at the banquet of all of heaven’s best, and they wanted chips and a soda so they could keep driving by.

This message really hit home to me because I do the same thing in my prayer life.  I’ll pray things like:

1. God, if…
2. Let me glimpse…
3. Show me that…
4. Help me through…

I’m looking for temporary patches, get-bys, fill ups, so I can keep on keeping on with the way I’m living my life for me as a christian.

But God’s answer, when I truly listen, is the same message I heard this week.  The question is not to God but to me.  When I ask:

1. God, if…  – I need to see my lack of trust and faith
2. Let me glimpse…   – I need to be thankful and joyful for the spirit of God that dwells in me and fills me up.
3. Show me that…  –  I need to open my hard heart to the miracles all around and the goodness and let others see God’s power in my life
4. Help me through… – I need to go help someone else

I am not trying to say we shouldn’t pray for help and direction, I’m simply trying to say that, in those prayers, we shouldn’t dwell in the land of doubt and fear.  We need to stop, sit down, be at peace, and be with the Lord.  God’s desire for our lives is not that we run on E for empty, but that we be filled to the brim with power and vigor and spirit.  When we turn to Jesus, we trade in our E for empty for his E for Eternal.

My Answers:

3.
a. When did you get here?  You are looking for me not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.   b. Very Truly I tell you… God the Father placed His Seal of approval

4.
They were just looking for a freebie.  They weren’t looking for something ever lasting, just something to temporarily fill them and make them feel better

5.
a.
Do not work for food that spoils (food for our body), Do work for food that endures to eternal life (twinkies… JK: Spiritual Food, the word of God and the Spirit of Faith)

b.
Matthew 3:16 – At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.