Manna and Coffee

“Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” John 14:8-10, NIV

Be honest, have you ever drove up to a gas pump and then realized that the gas tank is on the other side of the car? If you have more than one car in your family, and you are over forty years old, you know what I’m talking about. 🙂 For years I drove our cars and just lived with my occasional forgetfulness at the pump until my brother told me to really look at my gas gage.  Did you know that your gas gage tells you which side of the car that the gas tank is on?  There is a little arrow next to the gas pump symbol on most cars that tells you which side to fill up on. How could I have looked at my gas gage every day and never noticed this arrow before?

Now every time that I look at my gas gage I wonder if there are other details in my life that I’m overlooking.  When life is going at a thousand miles per hour it is easy to miss things.

For instance, I went through life for twenty-four years thinking that I was a Christian, and trying to live life the hard way through my own strength.  Then a bold and loving friend took the time to explain the Gospel message to me at a time in my life when I was ready to really look at Jesus.  Now it has been nearly twenty years since I truly accepted the fact that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I gave my life to Him, and just like the arrow on the gas gage, new spiritual “ah-ha’s” have become the norm as I study the Word of God and learn how to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Even Jesus’ closest friends on earth didn’t fully understand who He was. One time Jesus was trying to teach His disciples to, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:15,NIV).  When Jesus’ disciples misinterpreted what He was trying to teach them, Jesus said, ”Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand?  Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?….And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?…. Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:17-21, NIV)

Jesus is God and nothing is impossible for Him.  Are we ready to put our trust in Jesus and to understand who He really is?  Dear Lord please help our eyes to see and our ears to hear today.