Living In Full Fellowship With Jesus

"Today's Devotion" For April 2, 2005

Read: Matthew 14:13-21; Psalm 145

LIVING IN FULL FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS

"The eyes of all look to You and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." (Ps.145:15-16)

One of the many different "Table Graces" Christians use before and after meals comes from Psalm 145. It's a prayer that reminds us that the Lord doesn't only give us food and drink, but that He is also the source of supply for every need we, and every other human being on the face of earth, might have. In His time, according His promises, and in tune with what is good and for our benefit, our God supplies our every need at the "proper time." He knows and understands our every need and desire and fill them for us as they are needed and in the proper proportion. Whatever He gives us will never cause us harm, nor will it be to the detriment of others.

As Jesus performed His ministry on earth He experienced a great deal of rejection and hatred from the very people He had come to save, according to the Father's promises throughout history. No matter how often Jesus faced rejection and hatred from His own people and their leaders, He stilled showed compassion and a burning desire for fellowship with them. In a foreshadowing of the Lord's Supper, we see Jesus addressing the needs of the 5,000 plus people who were hungry (some have estimated the total amount of people to have been between 10,000 and 15,000). Taking the few small loaves of bread and a couple of fish, He gave thanks to the Father for those blessings, broke the bread, and instructed the disciples to distribute the bread and fish to the people. According to God's great blessing to His children, the few loaves and fishes were miraculously enough to feed all the people, and there was even food left over. God's bounty is astounding! His gifts are unfailing. He never shortchanges us. He always gives whatever is needed.

It's our Lord's greatest desire to bring us into a full, living fellowship with Him so that we might know that every gift and blessing comes from His hand. He came into this world to restore us to the full relationship with God that was God's plan from the beginning, before Sin entered into the world. According to Jewish custom, breaking bread together was an act of full acceptance of one another. Going beyond that custom, Jesus not only eats with people, but He even supplies the food they need. By so doing, our Lord Jesus Christ declares His love and full acceptance of them for His kingdom. In the same way, our Lord Jesus Christ brings us into a full, living fellowship with Him through the Word and the Sacraments. He supplies us with both spiritual food and everything we need to support our physical lives on earth - food, clothing, shelter, even life itself. By faith in Him, God's gift to us, we have been brought into a full, living fellowship with Jesus. His forgiveness is ours each day, and we are assured that, even when we have rejected Him, He still accepts us and brings us to Himself.

Prayer: Father, You sent Jesus to redeem me from the curse of Sin which kept me separated from Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. By His redeeming activity by suffering and dying on the cross for my sins and those of the whole world, Jesus has brought me back into a relationship with You and into the marvelous ligt of Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Continue, by the power of Your Word and Spirit, to help me to be living in full fellowship with Christ my Lord and Savior. Let my life be a living witness to Your many blessings and the truth that You satisfy the desires of every living thing. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.