It's been a great stay in the UK and I thank my hosts, Dave and Pam Graham of Everlasting Books, for taking such good care of me. Before I pack for home, however,I need to write this Memo. It's been eight years since I started writing the Memo and every time I sit down to write, something comes to me. This week's theme came this morning while I was writing next week's Bible study. It's nice when I can use one thing for two purposes, but it doesn't always work like that.
I realize that you are just dying to know what this week's topic is, but you know the rules. You have to read on if you want to know.
BREAD FOR YOU, BUT FIRST. . .
In John 6, Jesus had a massive crowd following Him and He asked Philip how they could possibly feed all those people, about 5,000 in number. Jesus wasn't looking for information or ideas; He already knew what He was going to do. He was testing Philip to see what he would suggest and, of course, he had no ideas, commenting that eight month's wages would only give everyone a snack.
Andrew, perhaps jokingly, said that there was a little boy who had five loaves and two fish but that certainly was not enough to feed the crowd. It was then that Jesus went into action. It was in what He told the people to do first that gave me the idea for this Memo:
Before Jesus would give them any bread, which was symbolic of His own life that He likened as bread from heaven, He ordered the people to sit down in a grassy place. It was then that I saw this for the first time in the context of Psalm 23.
. . . YOU HAVE TO SIT DOWN
To hear from the Lord, you have to sit down and quiet yourself. You can't be running here and there, hoping to catch the Lord on the fly. You have to sit down. I wonder if you don't know your purpose or aren't more productive because you don't know how or simply don't take time to sit down. Perhaps a refresher on Psalm 23 will help you this week:
God will make you lie down in green pastures and, once you recline, He will give you bread -- whatever it is that you need to sustain your life and purpose. So this week, why not take the time to just sit down? It's not very glamorous and I don't have any other suggestions except to take a pad and pen and write down what He says. If He can feed 5,000 from nothing once they sat, surely He can feed you when you do the same. As you do that, I am confident you will have a very good week!
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THE SOPHIA FUND: I received another email from Kenya this week concerning The Sophia Fund, this time from Eddie Adembesa:
This is to acknowledge that we have received $1,000 Sophie Fund and $50 St. Paul’s Baptist Church which you sent to us through SARAH NETWORK towards the feeding programme for orphans under the care of WEMA widows.
This has not only put a smile on the face of the children but also the widows who have great lack due to the prolonged drought that Kenya is facing.
To every single person who made this possible, it’s a big thank you and God truly bless you and enlarge your territories. A good measure shaken together, pressed down and overflowing. I call this a divine connection from God. Let’s continue to pray for one another as we continue noble task. Once again thank you and God bless you.
As I promised, every
penny you send is going to feed the poor in Zimbabwe
and Kenya. Nothing goes to overhead or administration. With reports like the one above, won't you
consider helping orphans and widows today? You can read about my
rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed
widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.
The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.
FACEBOOK: I continue to update my personal page on Facebook. Check it out and let's be friends when you have a chance. Also you can find me on Twitter @johnstanko. Go there to sign up and follow me.
BIBLE STUDY: If you would like to receive the Bible study from John that I mentioned in the first paragraph, I would be glad to send them to you on a weekly basis. If you would like them check or subscribe to receive them as they are published, you can do both here.
Dr John:
Okay, As I said earlier last week, your studies invite healthy debate which I think can only result in overall good and that is why you are my hero.
Anyway, you have used a couple of words that are hot buttons for me when discussing the work of Jesus in our lives. Both words,in essence, are part of the same subject. The words: "tested" Philip and God will "make" you to lie down in green pastures.
Let's look at that phrase, "tested" Philip. You stated he "tested" Philip to see what he would say, suggest, or do. Testing infers you do not know the capabilites or the depth of knowledge of the person tested. This holds true in school because the teacher, indeed, has no power to know the capabilites of the student until the test. Do you really believe Jesus did not know how his disciples would react or what they would do or say? According to scripture, "He knew the hearts of all men". I think a better phrase to use in stating that story would be "He engaged Philip". I am not trying to split hairs but I feel it important that we know it is not the job of our Lord to "test" us as if we could or would do something that might catch him by surprise.
The second phrase "God makes us to lie down". Really? If he does, it seems to me that everyone would be lying down at the proper time in their lives and there would be no "workaholics" in the ministry and we both know that isn't true. The New Living Translation says it this way, "Psalm 23:2 (NLT)2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams." If the Lord was going to "make" or "compel" us to do anything, He should "make" or "compel" us not to sin. Again, I don't mean to split hairs but this is an important subject for me and I appreciate the forum to debate it. I have a feeling this might open up a new can of worms for you. That's what friends are for.
Love you
PP
Posted by: Paul | April 06, 2009 at 10:48 AM