Gospel of John

“But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’”

John 6:20

In the story of Jesus walking on water, we find the disciples completely terrified by a storm. Much like the 5,000 that were fed earlier, there was a need and Jesus is once again the provider. Below is a paragraph from another blog written by David Mathis from John Piper’s Desiring God website which gives God centered resources for ministry. David makes a fascinating connection.

“When Jesus climbs into the boat and stills the storm, he is showing the disciples (and us) the point that underlies his feeding of the 5,000: When we serve Jesus by giving of ourselves to others, he will always be enough for us. If we pour out our life to provide bread for others, he will be our bread. The more we satisfy others, the more he will satisfy us.”

What an amazing lesson and how contradictory it is to what we are told everywhere else. We must poor out ourselves, and he will satisfy our needs. Our challenge this week is to do something for others expecting nothing in return and enjoying the blessings that God has already and continually blessed us with. Thanks for reading once again and have a great week.

- Matt

Gospel of John

“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

John 6:11

We live in a world that is driven by production, sales, and material wealth accumulation. It can be overwhelming just walking through the grocery store and seeing all the shelved items practically reaching out and grabbing you to get your attention. Unfortunately I have often fallen into the victim category of cheesy promotion schemes. If it looks new, fun, and tasty than more often than not it ends up in my cart. By the first bite I know whether it was a good purchase and more often than not I realize that I was over promised and under delivered once again.

The story in John 6 on the other hand did not under deliver. There wasn’t nearly enough food to go around but Jesus had greater things planned. The people ate until they were full. All their needs were supplied and even more.

When we run to worldly vices they will always under deliver. Even though they may tempt every desire known to man, they never fail to disappoint and it’s a battle that we are faced with everyday. My challenge and desire is that we would block out the distractions and run towards a God that loves us and supplies all that we need. Thanks for reading this week and may God continue to work in the hearts of those connected with Sports Impact.

-Matt

Gospel of John

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

John 5:24

When I read the verse above the part that jumps off the page for me is “from death to life.” It makes me think about life or death situations or decisions that carry significant weight. There are incredible stories about the amazing things that people have overcome in order to stay alive. Often those stories have a climax decision that must be made in which the end will result in either life or death.

Normal day to day life doesn’t seem like a life or death matter, but according to the Bible life is not just a friendly game that we all play. In the verse above Jesus says that we must “hear” and “believe” in order to have eternal life. But how often do we really listen and even when we listen do we act according to the wisdom we have received?

My challenge this week is for us to be attentive to the messages we hear and wise in what we believe in. It’s easy for our thoughts to be plagued with false messages from the media and our surroundings. How have we been deceived and what does the Bible tell us? In a world filled with deception, Jesus is willing to offer us wisdom (James 1:5) that we can trust and in the end will make all the difference.

-Matt