February 10:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS PROVISION.
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."--Matthew 6:8

When my dad passed away, a deep sadness came over me.  I didn't fully understand all the levels of grief I was experiencing.  A friend sent me an article that greatly helped me; it explained how when we lose our final parent, we grieve on three different levels: when we lose our first parent, we place our energy on the parent that we have left, but when the second parent dies, we grieve both parents anew.  Second, for the first time we are orphans.  Third, the generation before us is gone, therefore, we are the next to face our mortality.  Being an orphan brought a new, personal level of grief.  And immediately all the Bible verses that referred to God as our Father had a new and intimate meaning for me.

Jesus introduced His followers to a new intimate way to relate to God: He is our Father.  He said that unbelievers try to impress God by mere repetitions (Matthew 6:7), but His disciples should not.  Several times in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about God as the disciples' Father (see 5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18, 26; 7:11).  This has become personal for me.  When addressing God as our Father, I am not talking to a distant god, but to One who loves and cares for me.  And by using the first person plural possessive pronoun, I am part of the community of God's children.  The Lord's Prayer is divided into two main parts: one contains three statements about God, and the other contains three petitions for His provision.  "Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done" (Matthew 6:9).  Your, Your, Your.  Our perspective is aligned with God's when our focus is on Him, recognizing the holiness of His name, and desiring His kingdom to be established and His purposes fulfilled.  Then, we acknowledge our dependency on Him, requesting daily provision for our physical needs, as well as forgiveness for our sins and deliverance from temptations (see verses 11-13).  All of this is preceded by Jesus' reminder that our Father knows what we need even before we ask Him (verse 8).  We are the beloved children of God.  We delight in providing for our children.  How much more our Heavenly Father delights in providing for us!

My Response:_________________________________________________

February 9:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS GARMENT.
"I advise you to buy from Me...white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed."--Revelation 3:18

I had an idea for a visual aid to make my sermon memorable.  In order to illustrate the point of the parable of the marriage feast and the man who was found without the festal garment (see Matthew 22:1-14), I brought large, white plastic bags to church for everyone to wear..  There were more than one thousand people there.  It was quite a sight to see the entire audience completely dressed in white.  In the skit that followed, the one person dressed in black was taken outside of the venue, for his refusal to wear the provided garment.

This parable is not the only place in the Bible where God makes it clear that our own spiritual "clothing" is not good enough to qualify us for heaven.  Throughout the Bible, sin is represented as a clothing crisis.  It started with Adam and Eve who, having sinned, realized that they were naked (Genesis 3:7).  Instead of running back to God to ask for forgiveness and the restoration of God's covering over them, they decided to sew fig leaves together and made themselves coverings, which were not acceptable to God.  Time after time, God offers the garments of salvation that He has prepared for us (for examples see Isaiah 61:1-4, 10, 11; Zechariah 3:1-5).  In the Gospels, parables such as the one found in Matthew 22 make the same point.  Even in Luke 15:22, when the prodigal son returns, the first order of the father is to bring out the "best robe" and put it on him.  In the last book of the Bible, God's plea is that the church of Laodicea buy from Him white garments (Revelation 3:18), so that their nakedness may be covered.  The sad part is that Laodicea is proud about their many spiritual blessings and wealth; they don't realize their need.  They say: "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and God responds: "You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17).  God's solution is to give us His garment of righteousness, which He purchased at the high price of the blood of Jesus.  Accept His generous offer.  The robe of salvation is not found in our own closets; it is only provided by Him!

My Response:___________________________________________________

February 8:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS RESPONSE.
"It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' "--Matthew 4:4

In my youth, each summer we used to spend our annual vacation camping on the beach.  Several of my relatives got together, and we formed a small tent village.  One of my uncles designed a large handmade tent; all our tents could fit inside his.  He secured several iron poles under the tarp, creating a large living area.  I still remember when a storm hit one time, and we all ended up under this sturdy tent, with the large poles.  It was strong, and it didn't fall

When we are hit by a storm of temptation, our core beliefs are tested, and will determine if our tent stands or falls.  When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), He answered the adversary with Scriptural words.  The devil tempted Jesus to doubt His position, provision, protection, and plan.  "If You are the Son of God..." (verses 4, 6).  Jesus had heard a Voice from heaven affirming that He was the Son of God (Matthew 3:17).  Now, with conditional clauses, His adversary wanted Him to doubt His personal position in God's kingdom.  By the way, later while hanging on the cross, He was tempted in the same manner: "If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross" (Matthew 27:40).  Second, would He trust in God to provide for what He needed, or did He have to step in and provide for Himself (Matthew 4:3)?  Thirdly, did He need to test God's protection of Him, or was He sure that God was with Him (verses 5, 6); was God really in control of His life?  And lastly, the devil tempted Jesus to bypass the cross and follow a different plan (verse 9), as if salvation could have been achieved any other way.  To all these temptations, Jesus responded with truths from the Bible.  We can learn from this narrative that there are four poles of belief that will keep our spiritual tent standing when a storm of temptation hits: (1) You are a child of God and He loves you; (2) God will provide for all your needs, physical and spiritual; (3) God is in complete control, and nothing can happen that He doesn't allow for your own growth and salvation; and (4) He has a detailed plan for your life.  Amen!

My Response:_________________________________________________

February 7:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS INTERVISION.
"Do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say."--Matthew 10:19

I had to chuckle when I read the comment on Matthew 10:19 in my study Bible: " 'Do not worry about...what you are to say.'  Not to be used by preachers as an excuse for lack of sermon preparation!" *  As I started studying this topic, I found similar exhortations in other academic commentaries.  But even though this verse seems to have been misused, it contains a most important promise of Jesus.

When we get to this verse, Jesus has already addressed the persecution and opposition that His followers would encounter when they would be handed over to courts and synagogues (Matthew 10:17).  And now Jesus expands this to include the highest levels of society and authority: "You will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles" (verse 18).  Even these unplanned and perhaps unpleasant meetings with authorities and dignitaries would be used by God as missionary endeavors, to witness about Jesus to unbelievers.

Jesus went on to discuss that in some of these critical circumstances, a verbal witnessing would be necessary.  And this is where Jesus asserts that our Father, whom we trust to provide for our daily and basic needs (Matthew 6:25-34), would also provide the words we are to speak in such a crisis.  This is a most assuring promise: no matter the social status or intellectual capabilities of the followers of Jesus called to witness in this manner, God will intervene and provide a Divine Resource.  "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:20).  Therefore "do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour" (verse 19).  Jesus says that we should not be anxious about our witnessing, even at the highest levels of authority.  We will be talking about Jesus, and the Father intervenes by giving His Spirit for such situations.  Yes, God provides our food and clothing (Matthew 6:25-34), and He also provides our words when we give our testimony of Jesus (Matthew 10:18-20).  Therefore "do not worry" and trust the Spirit's intervention.

My Response:____________________________________________________

February 6:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS CHILDREN.
"From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?...the sons are exempt."--Matthew 17:25, 26


One of the highlights during my trip to the Holy Land was the visit to the beautiful Sea of Galilee, which Jesus and His disciples navigated so many times.  There is a fish named Chromis Simonis in honor of Simon Peter.  It has a large mouth, big enough to hold a stater, which is a silver coin worth four drachmas--one shekel.  The background to our text today is a story about the miraculous provision of a stater in the mouth of a fish in order to pay the temple tax.

The story takes place in Capernaum.  Tax collectors asked Peter "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?" (Matthew 17:24).  Peter answered affirmatively.  The tax in question was the temple tribute, which every twenty-year-old-and-above Jewish male was expected to pay.  There were some exceptions though; priests, for instance, did not have to pay it.  The temple tax was based on the instructions found in the Law (Exodus 30:11-16).  It was half a shekel per person and was used to maintain the temple.  Later, in the house, Jesus and Peter had a very interesting conversation that reminds us of our identity as children of God.  Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ' 'What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?' " (verse 25).  Peter answered that the earthly rulers collect tribute from strangers, not from their own children.  In this metaphoric saying, God is the king, and Jesus and His followers are the sons.  In response, Jesus concluded, "then the sons are exempt" (verse 26), meaning that He and His followers were not subject to the tribute for their Father's House.  The temple and its sacrificial system would soon become obsolete when its services would find their fulfillment in the sacrifice of Jesus.  Still, not to offend the Jewish authorities needlessly, Peter would encounter a divine provision by catching a fish that had a stater in its mouth, the equivalent of one shekel and enough to pay the temple tax for both Jesus and Peter (verse 27).  We are not strangers!  We are children of the king, and He provides everything we need.

My Response:____________________________________________________

February 5:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS OMNISCIENCE.
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet.--Matthew 21:4

To follow our ministerial calling, we decided to move to another town, where our income would be considerably lower.  Wondering how we would be able to afford house payments with the reduced income, we decided to explore a new community.  As we got there, we both got the impression to pause and pray.  We inquired about a house that we really liked and calculated what our house payment would be.  I left the place with tears of thanksgiving, for the payment was less than half our previous house payment, and we could easily afford it.  But, of course, God knew that ahead of time!

We can rest in God's pre-knowledge and pre-provision for every situation.
During Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we are made aware of His complete knowledge about, and provision for, the situation ahead.  Jesus sent two disciples: "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me" (Matthew 21:2).  Jesus gave specific instructions as to what they were to say if questioned.  This is the only time that Jesus rode an animal.  He always walked, yet for these last few miles He needed a colt in order to enact a particular prophecy.  Matthew indicates that the prophecy was from Zechariah 9:9 (with Isaiah 62:11): "This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 'Say to the daughter of Zion,, "Behold your king is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden" ' " (Matthew 21:4, 5).  Some scholars suggest that Jesus had prearranged for this animal, but even if that's the case, the point still stands.  Jesus knew the prophecy; He planned the enactment of the fulfillment of that particular prophecy; He knew where to find the animal; and He gave specific instructions to His disciples.  Every part of Jesus' ministry followed a divine plan, even in the smallest details.  Rest assured that God knows and provides for everything that you and I need for our salvation and our daily lives.  He certainly goes ahead of us!

My Response:______________________________________________________

February 4:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS SUSTENANCE.
"It is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven."--John 6:32

When my husband was growing up, there were eight members in his immediate family.  His parents were very hospitable, therefore there were always many needy people sitting at the table along with them.  They were not wealthy, yet somehow there was always enough food for them and their visitors.  His siblings always point out that even though they never saw the food multiply; they are sure God frequently and miraculously increased the food so all could be fed.

In his Gospel, John records a lengthy and insightful interaction between Jesus and the people that took place after the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:26-58).  Having been miraculously fed, the crowd now asks Jesus to perform another sign, that they may believe in Him.  They said: "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness" (verse 31).  It was God who had given them the manna, sustaining them in the wilderness, day after day, for forty years.  I really like the story of the manna, which is recorded in Exodus 16, please take a moment to read it.  Perhaps I would have been among the anxious ones who tried to collect more than one day's supply, not sure if God would provide for the following day....Would I have trusted enough to rest on the seventh day, celebrating my Provider's faithfulness towards His children?  Back to John 6, Jesus revealed that the manna was pointing to Him, who was the true Manna that came down from heaven from God.  The material provision in the wilderness was pointing to the spiritual Sustenance that we have in Jesus.  The first was perishable, but the later is eternal nourishment.  Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh" (verse 51).  God lovingly provides for all our needs, physical and spiritual.  Let's trust His faithfulness towards us, casting our anxieties at the foot of the cross.  "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

My Response:_________________________________________________

February 3:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS NOURISHMENT.
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."--John 6:30

Have you ever been hungry, in real need of food?  The closest I got to that was when I came to the United States, many decades ago.  It was hard to find jobs at first, and we were dependent on a church that gave us a weekly box of food, containing bread, cheese, rice, beans, et cetera.  One day, when I opened the refrigerator, I found only some bread and cheese, nothing else.  I am grateful that God sustained and blessed us.  Little by little, things got easier and better.

Bread was a big concern in the first century; many people worked for it daily.  When Jesus performed the miraculous feeding of the multitude (John 6:1-13), people interpreted that the awaited prophet like Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15) had arrived: "This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14).  People wanted to make sure that He was the awaited One, so they asked Him to do another sign, that they might believe in Him (see John 6:30, 32).  They alluded to manna: God had provided water and food for them in the wilderness through Moses.  Was Jesus going to prove Himself by doing the same?  Jesus explained that He was the true Bread from heaven, who provides life-giving nourishment to the world (verses 32, 33).  Back in Exodus 16, God had sent manna, and Israel had collected it every day because it was perishable food.  Only on the sixth day were they to collect for the Sabbath, on which they rested to remember their divine Provider.  But the true Bread from heaven, to which manna pointed, provides permanent and on-going nourishment.  "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and...will never thirst" (verse 35).  In John, this is the first emphatic "I am" statement, followed by a metaphor for Jesus' identity.  Human hearts are always searching for nourishment, though sometimes in the wrong places.  But Jesus satisfies our thirst and hunger permanently.  In Him we find salvation, assurance, joy, meaning, purpose, and real nourishment.  He fills our souls; He is our All in all.  Lord: give us this day our daily Bread! Jesus!

My Response:_____________________________________________________

February 2:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS TOUCH.
Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.--Matthew 8:3

My friend Steve was going through an emotionally difficult time when he decided to focus his energy on helping others.  He founded a ministry called "Hugs for HumanKIND," going out several times a week to meaningfully engage with people living on the streets, showing interest in their lives, helping them, or simply listening to what they wanted to share.  When appropriate, he gives them a real hug, which most of them have not experienced in years.  Many of them have not had a healthy human touch in a long time, and they are pleasantly surprised and thankful to be the recipients of this type of kindness.

In the first century, leprosy was a disease that rendered its victims unfit for society.  A leper was considered unclean and untouchable (see Leviticus 13, 14) and would be forced out of his village.  A leper had to carry the stigma of a horrendous contagious disease.  Therefore, the leper who comes to Jesus in Matthew 8:1-4 is not even sure if Jesus is willing to heal him.

In the Gospels, sometimes Jesus' greatest acts of service on behalf of his fellow human beings go unnoticed because we concentrate on the miracles of healing and resurrection.  In this event, we should notice Jesus' attitude towards the sick person: "Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him" (Matthew 8:3).  He touched the untouchable!  During His life on earth, the Son of God never became unclean or defiled by diseases; instead, He brought life and health.  He provided healing for the body, mind, and soul.  In this case, Jesus' touch showed his willingness to reach out to the unclean and the marginalized.  You may not have leprosy, but you may be struggling with an addiction, a sin, a dark past, an unhealthy relationship, or anything else that brings shame to your life or the life of a loved one.  May this story give you the assurance of Jesus' willingness to touch the dark areas of our lives and provide healing where there is sickness.  Jesus' touch demonstrates both His love and compassion!

My Response:___________________________________________________

February 1:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS LIGHT.
"I am the Light of the world."--John 9:5

I had an unforgettable experience while visiting New Zealand to speak at a women's retreat.  I was hoping to find some time between my speaking engagements to visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.  Thanks to the kindness and efforts of my hosts, we made it.  In a little boat, we entered a very dark cave; the guide asked us to be completely silent.  We quietly sat there in the dark as excitement started to fill my heart.  I had heard about the light-emitting worms inhabiting these caves, yet nothing prepared me for the sight of them!  As the boat turned into the larger section of the cave, thousands of tiny bright lights appeared as if we were looking at a star-filled night sky.  Because of the surrounding darkness, the lights shone much brighter that I had imagined.  And once again, I felt amazed at the beauty of God's creation!

There is something about darkness that makes the light shine even brighter!  In one of His revealing "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, Jesus announces: "I am the Light of the world" (John 9:5).  Jesus then proceeds  to heal a blind man, who ends up seeing both physically and spiritually, and is the only person in this Gospel to worship Jesus.  The words the blind man uses referring to Jesus highlight his progression towards spiritual sight: he calls Jesus a man (verse 11), then a prophet (verse 17), "from God" (verse 33), et cetera, and finally, he believes in Him and worships Him (verse 38).  On the other hand, the Pharisees, who thought they could see, end up being blind (verses 39-41), and declare themselves disciples of Moses and not of Jesus (verse 28).  They call Jesus "a sinner" (verse 24) and put the formerly blind man out of the synagogue in the name of Moses and Sabbath keeping.  Sometimes, spiritual darkness can be found even in religious circles.  We are blind if anything or anyone other than Jesus becomes the object of our worship, even if it is something religious, as in the case of these Pharisees.  Only Jesus provides peace. He is the Light that illuminates our minds, dispels our doubts and fears, and holds our future.  He is the Light of the world and the Light of our lives!

My Response:________________________________________________