BLESSING THE FOOD

“Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes” (Matt. 14:19 NKJV).

While there are many lessons that can be learned from this verse, we want to focus on the lesson of the Lord Jesus Christ blessing the food. Thus, we note what He did, why He did it, where He did it, and when He did it.

What He did - When the Lord Jesus blessed the food, He was giving thanks for the food. Other accounts of this incident confirm this fact. In John 6:11, the word “thanks” is used instead of “blessed.” These two terms are interchangeable. Before a meal, we sometimes ask a person to say the blessing or to give thanks for the food. It is a good habit to thank God for the food we receive.

Why He did it - When the Lord Jesus gave thanks He was “looking up to heaven.” This means that the Lord Jesus was giving thanks for the food in order to honor God. Giving thanks honors the Lord. When we fail to give thanks for the food, we fail to honor God.

Where He did it – The Lord Jesus gave thanks in public. There was a great multitude of about five thousand men besides women and children, yet the Lord Jesus did not hesitate to thank God before them. We are not to be ashamed about giving thanks in public. Failure to give thanks in a public eating place says our Christianity is not worth much.

When He did it – The Lord Jesus gave thanks before the miracle of multiplying the food. When He gave thanks, He only had five loaves and two fish in hand. Yet He thanked God for them; He gave thanks for what He had. When we give thanks for what we have rather than complain about what we do not have, we will find our needs will be met in a timely fashion. The grateful heart will best experience the generosity of God.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it!”

Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer (1897 – 1963)

American Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

Evil report

In 2 Cor. 6:8 we read, “By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true” (NKJV).

Evil report is the Geek word dusphēmía (δυσφημία =doos-fay-mee'-ah). The word means slander or defamation. Literally, it means evil speaking, ill-report, reproach, insult. In classical Greek dusphēmía was used to mean words of ill omen, things unlucky to say. In the Septuagint, dusphēmía was used to denote slander, blasphemy or curses. Dusphēmía only occurs here in the New Testament and was used in reference to accusations brought against the apostle Paul and thus means slander or bad report.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not; I will help thee” (Isa. 41:13 KJV).

Did You Know…

When a child of God prays, the Holy Spirit intercedes for him (Rom. 8:26).

Bible Quiz

In the Book of Malachi, why was God angry with the priests?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What was the test proposed by Elijah to the prophets of Baal to see whose god was the true God? To see whose God answers by fire (1 Kings 18:23-24).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“BLESSED HOPE”

"Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ!” (Titus 2:13 NKJV).

1. Meaning – BLESSED HOPE speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who believers are looking forward to meeting.

2. Insights – The word “hope” in Scripture does not communicate uncertainty, as in “I hope that something might occur.” Rather, it is the glad assurance that something will take place. In other words, grace teaches us to expect and prepare for our “blessed hope.” That hope is much more than heaven or glory; it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Christians look forward to the blessed hope – “the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Did You Know – Christian History

William Ashley Sunday (Billy Sunday) was born November 19, 1862, near Ames, Iowa. He was a professional baseball player who later became a well-known evangelist.

Sunday’s father died of pneumonia in a war camp four months after his birth. Sunday’s mother, Mary, eventually remarried, but her second husband ended up leaving them. Unable to provide for all her children, Mary sent Sunday and his older brother to an orphan home. During his time at the orphanage, Sunday proved himself a talented athlete, and at the age of 21, he was signed to the Chicago White Stockings. He became a fan favorite and eventually moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1890. Sunday wasn’t the most consistent player, but he was an exciting base runner.

Off the baseball field, Sunday’s life was spiraling out of control. In 1886, an evangelistic team from the Pacific Garden Mission found him in the gutter after a drinking spree and gave him the gospel. Sunday responded in faith to the message of Christ, and after his conversion his teammates and fans saw a marked change in his behavior and habits. A few years later, in 1891, Sunday officially ended his baseball career and began to work for the YMCA as assistant secretary where he gained experience that would later be invaluable to his evangelistic efforts.

Sunday was ordained in 1903 and received training from J. Wilbur Chapman, a Presbyterian pastor and evangelist. When Sunday struck out as an evangelist in his own right, it was his wife, Nell, who served as administrator, organizing campaigns and laying out the details. In the days of his “Kerosene Circuit” (most of the towns he visited didn’t have electricity yet), Sunday used his fame as a former baseball player as a way to attract attendees. This proved to be a successful strategy and Sunday had to resort to preaching in tents because of the crowds. Later, his meetings were held in temporary wooden meeting places called “tabernacles.” Each tabernacle had a dirt floor covered with sawdust to keep down the dust. Responding to the invitation to come forward during a Billy Sunday meeting thus came to be known as “hitting the sawdust trail.”

Sunday was known as a “rough” speaker; he used unrefined, blunt vocabulary to get his points across. Unashamedly he proclaimed, “I want to preach the gospel so plainly that men can come from the factories and not have to bring a dictionary.” Sunday was an energetic showman with a unique style of preaching. He would act things out, run across the stage, take off his coat and roll up his sleeves, throw chairs at the devil, and in other ways deliver a lively sermon. He worked tirelessly, preaching nearly 20,000 sermons, an average of 42 per month. At the peak of his ministry, he was preaching more than 20 times a week. In 1935 Sunday suffered a mild heart attack, and, after ignoring the doctor’s order to rest, he passed away that same year on November 6 in Chicago. His last sermon was on the text “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The Billy Sunday Home Museum and Visitors Center is located in Winona Lake, Indiana, the town where Sunday had his headquarters since 1911.

A Little Humor

If anyone needs an ark, I happen to Noah guy!

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“In an age of false superlatives, only God is truly great!”