John 6:35-38 The Message
35-38 Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own agenda but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
It is a severe understatement to say that sometimes God goes far out of His way to care for us, and ergo sometimes we need to go out of our way to be cared for.
It is also a severe understatement to say it’s not always easy to ask for what we need, especially when others might have reasons to be cautious about helping.
Ruth 2:11-12 The Message
11-12 Boaz answered her, “I’ve heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you’ve done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you’ve come seeking protection under his wings.”
But then we biblically encounter a radical departure – see Ruth is a bold person.
She knows what she and her mother-in-law need, and she asks for permission to glean barley from a field that belongs to Boaz, a landowner from Bethlehem.
Now, Boaz is a relative of Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi, and he has heard about the directness and decisiveness of Ruth’s approach, but has not met her before.
And rather than being dismissive or indifferent, and being intrigued Boaz goes far out of his way and he welcomes Ruth and invites her to keep following along after the harvesters – to glean from the fields and be rewarded for her efforts.
What’s more, Boaz extends this emboldened moment of encounter to bless her for supporting her mother-in-law, indicates that Ruth is an honorable woman.
“May you be richly rewarded by the Lord,” he says, “. . . under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12)
This statement reflects the caring, abundantly impressive providing nature of God’s character, and exactly now, it helps us to understand God’s love for us.
God extends Himself into the affairs of man, faithfully cares for and provides for us, and often He does this through the kindness and generosity of others.
And whether we know it or not, need it or not, need help or we are able to help someone else, we can be assured that the hand of God reaches far down from heaven, empowers and celebrates both the one who asks and the one who gives.
As God Goes Far Out of His Way, We Too Are Sent Afar in His Way
John 6:35-38 New King James Version
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will [a]by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
It is the season of Thanksgiving and we ought be going far out of our way to celebrate and thank God for always going out of His way to provide for us all.
Has your church ever “gone out of its way”, done a community outreach event?
Perhaps you have been part of one of these that has offered people free food, along with games for children and a chance to bounce around on inflatables.
That’s all good hearted and wonderful.
We certainly want to go far out of our way to show people in our neighborhoods we are going far out of our way to be friendly, perhaps even going on to likable.
But, quite frankly, and quite truthfully, any civic minded group of people—believers or not—can go far out of their ways to put on an event like that.
As Children of God we must want more for our friends and neighbors than that.
Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I have nothing good besides You.”
3 As for the [d]saints who are on the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones; all my delight is in them.
4 [f]The pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has advised me;
Indeed, my [g]mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to [h]Sheol;
You will not [i]allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the way of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
By the Will of God, we must long for them to go far out of their way to have an encounter with God, and His Son the risen Jesus, to find abundant life in Him.
The only best reason for a church to convene a community day, is the same reason for it to convene any gathering: so men, women, and children might have a direct encounter with the living God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, we want unbelieving people around us go far outside of their ways of sin, darkness to become maximally committed followers, servants of Jesus.
As God went far out of His way and sent His Son, and sharing His Son, one way for us to conceive of sharing the good news is by reciting the ABCs of the gospel:
A – Admit:
We all have something to admit.
We have sinned, every last one of us.
We have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
And though “the wages of sin is death, … the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:23).
Unless we admit our need, we will never know the remedy.
B – Believe:
There is something very, very special we go out of our way to always believe.
John 3:16-18 New American Standard Bible
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Jesus went far out of His way to quite literally give up everything He was and He came to us, He lived and breathed among us and loved us. (Philippians 2:5-11)
Jesus Christ went far out His way and He died in the place of sinners like us.
The good news of the gospel is not about what we’re able to do in order to make ourselves acceptable to God; it is the true wonder of what God has already done in Jesus – the message is that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). By the Will of God, We must make it our life’s mission to believe it.
C – Come:
We must come to Jesus.
We can have a sense of our sinfulness and even know that Christ died in our place, unless we go out of our way, entrust ourselves to Him, we remain lost.
Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, emphasis added).
Sometimes people get stuck between B and C and, despite knowing they are sinners and understanding the gospel, have never actually come to Jesus.
It is worth checking that this does not describe you.
If it does, it’s appropriate to ask, What are you waiting for, an engraved invite?
The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
When we, like Ruth, sense pangs and longings in your soul that nothing else seems to satisfy, then come to Jesus – full and everlasting satisfaction awaits.
If you have come to Jesus, found life in Him, then do not keep quiet about Him.
The “bread of life” is for offering to one and all “far and wide and all around!”
So by all means, this Thanksgiving and beyond let us and our churches go far out our ways to show the ABC’s of God’s gospel kindness in our acts of love.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 New American Standard Bible
Christian Conduct
12 But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to recognize those who diligently labor among you and [a]are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you [b] instruction, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the [c]unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
By the Will of God in and through His Son Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, we are always going to be called to extend the hand of God do more, too: to share gospel truth in what we say – to whom will we extend the “bread of life” today?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 100 New American Standard Bible
All People Exhorted to Praise God.
A Psalm for [a]Thanksgiving.
100 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with jubilation;
Come before Him with rejoicing.
3 Know that the Lord [b]Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and [c]not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
Lord God, help us to trust in you, knowing that we can seek refuge in your name and from beneath your wings, you have blessed us to share with and help others. Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 