Day 12: God is Practical and Provides Practically

FALSE NOTION that God only provides spiritual and invisible blessings:

Today, many born again believers think that God is only interested in the grandiose and big matters of life. They think that God is not interested in the small and mundane. They also think God only takes care of spiritual blessings and provisions and the after-life. They think God is not concerned
about actual food on the table for their families, electric bills, water bills, school fees, etc.

They think God is leaving them on their own to provide for them the needs in the natural like money and a good career.

SCRIPTURAL TRUTH:

Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is the express image of The Father and Jesus Himself also said in John 14:9 that whoever has seen Him has seen The Father and in John 5:19, Jesus said that The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees The Father do; for whatever He does, The Son also does in
like manner.

This means that whatever Jesus does and says are expressions of God The Father Himself.

There are two accounts in the gospel that clearly illustrate THROUGH JESUS that we have a God whose miracles of provision are practical and supernaturally natural.

FEEDING the FIVE THOUSAND (found in both Matthew and Mark).

The words of Jesus in Mark 8:2-3:

“I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

The need for the moment is actual physical food. If Jesus gave them a gold or silver coin each, it would be impractical because they are in a deserted place belonging to Bethsaida and would mean they would have to walk and like what He said, some of them will faint on their way.

Jesus gave them bread and fish, a practical solution to a real issue – hunger.
PETER and his MASTER pay their TAXES.

The words of Jesus in Matthew 17:27:

“Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

The need for the moment is actual world currency to pay for the temple tax. If Jesus multiplied bread and fish at this time and asked Peter to sell it to earn for the temple tax, would it have been practical? No.

What is Peter’s profession? A fisherman.

Does going out to the sea, casting a hook, taking the first fish that comes up, open its mouth and take a piece of money found in it sound like something difficult and challenging for Peter to do? No.

It’s one of the easiest things Peter can do next to breathing because this is exactly what he is skilled to do.

Jesus is the express image of the Father. Jesus is practical. We have a God who never asks for any of His children to lose a limb to be able to provide for themselves. No. He provides and He provides practically.

Father, thank You that You are a God who is more than willing to provide and You provide practically. Thank You that You gave us Jesus to demonstrate Your heart to us. Thank You for giving us Jesus to die in our behalf to do what we can never do on our own – pay for our own atonement.

Grow us in the knowledge of Your grace and truth in Jesus. Teach us to receive from You what You have already provided and continue to provide for us through Jesus. Amen!