572 - Confidence and Wisdom in Knowing When to Advance or Retreat#
(JP Text Group - shalom compilation)
Peace be with you, dear family, and welcome. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's word together.
The topic of the sharing is: Confidence and Wisdom in Knowing When to Advance or Retreat.
John 6:3-15:
3 Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.) 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About five thousand men were there. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Let us pray first.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you. Thank you for starting our new week of life. We come before you to receive the truth, for the truth will give us faith and wisdom, allowing us to know how to experience you, know you, and live by receiving your revelation, experiencing your joy and peace. We are willing to continuously receive the revelation from heaven in today’s word. Help us to renew our thoughts and minds through your word. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
When we interact with others, knowing when to advance and when to retreat shows wisdom and capability. Similarly, we need to do this in our work. For example, in some industries, one may not know when to step back; perhaps that industry no longer fits the current situation and will soon be eliminated. If we continue to stay in that industry, we may end up with nothing.
So when should we withdraw, and when should we continue to follow up? This requires faith and wisdom from God. If we can understand God's guidance, we will not fall into confusion. Many times we feel like we are at a crossroads, unsure of which way to go next. But if we have guidance from God in our hearts, no matter what environment or problem we encounter, we can overcome.
Looking at this passage, Jesus went up on a mountain and sat down with his disciples. That place is what we refer to today as the Golan Heights. Before everyone arrived, perhaps Jesus wanted to take a little rest, so he sat there as he had done in the past.
At that time, the Jewish Passover was near. As the story unfolds, this detail will be very important because the Passover is a time for the Jews to commemorate Moses leading their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt. During that Passover, God displayed many miracles with His mighty hand, leading their ancestors out of bondage and oppression.
The Israelites, under Roman oppression, also looked forward to the Messiah to save them, hoping this Savior would bring salvation like Moses and provide manna from heaven. Therefore, the expectation for the Passover was quite high. The miracle of feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, mentioned below, is set against the backdrop of the Jewish Passover, indicating that Jesus Christ, who was crucified, is the Passover Lamb, sacrificed for us, becoming the bread of life for the world, allowing those who eat of Him to live.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8:
7 Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Here, Paul uses a method of interpreting scripture to directly explain what unleavened bread is. Unleavened bread refers to bread without yeast, in its original state; but if yeast is added to a batch of dough, it begins to rise.
Now, when a person accepts Jesus Christ and the work done on the cross, everything changes, and they become unleavened bread. What does this signify? Previously, there was yeast within us. We must believe a fact: once the dough is filled with yeast and rises, it is almost impossible to remove that yeast; this is something humans cannot do. But Jesus Christ came into this world and removed the yeast from within us, so in God's eyes, all who believe in Jesus are unleavened bread, made new by God.
All of this is because Jesus became our sin offering on the cross; He has been sacrificed, and we have become new creations. Therefore, when we celebrate the Passover, we must not use old yeast or the yeast of malice and wickedness. This refers to them eating unleavened bread during the Passover because they have become new.
From a spiritual perspective, we have become children of God, and our thoughts and minds need to be renewed and transformed, viewing the world and our lives through a completely new lens, which is through the eyes of Christ. We should see the world and everything in it as Jesus does, through the truth.
Jesus is now sitting on the mountain with his disciples, and many people have come. There was no choice but for Jesus to give up His rest and continue teaching the people about the truth. Perhaps Jesus had been speaking all day; this point is not recorded in the Gospel of John, but we can see it in other Gospels that it was getting close to dark.
Luke 9:12-13:
12 Late in the afternoon, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” 13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”
From this passage, we can see that Jesus may have been speaking all day, and the place where He was speaking was quite far from the city. The twelve disciples saw that it was getting dark and that the people could not stay there any longer because it was almost mealtime and there was nothing to eat nearby.
So the disciples suggested to Jesus, “Let the people go back to the surrounding villages to find lodging or food; we have nothing to provide here.” At this point, Jesus said, “You give them something to eat!” From a human perspective, this was indeed a big problem because even if you had money, you couldn't buy enough food for so many people. Plus, with women and children, it was nearly ten thousand people, which would be a difficult task even today.
Looking at verses 5-7:
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.) 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
We see a very important statement here: Jesus said this to test Philip. Why did Jesus want to test Philip? He wanted to see how he would solve such a problem. You could say this was a test of the disciples' faith to see if they could solve these issues.
So dear family, why do you study the truth? The truth can give life; you have already received the truth of justification by faith. You know that Jesus shed His blood for your sins on the cross and rose from the dead three days later. You have accepted Jesus and are already saved. But at the same time, the truth has another function: the truth that enters our lives can solve any problem we face.
When we learn the truth, it is not to turn it into knowledge; knowledge can lead to pride. We learn the truth to use it. Just as eating food is for enjoyment, not just for chewing. Family, if we learn the truth but do not use it, it has little significance for us.
The disciples had learned a lot of truth by following Jesus, and now that they faced a problem, shouldn't they use the truth to solve it? Yes, so when this problem arose, Jesus began to test whether Philip would use the truth. When do we use the truth we have learned? It should be used in our daily lives, which can also test our true faith. If we encounter a small problem in life that we can easily solve on our own, it does not require faith or the use of truth.
Often, when certain things arise that we cannot handle on our own, we need to use the truth. Which truth should we use? How do we use it? We cannot just declare, “Jesus has accomplished everything on the cross, so I believe this matter is done!” Shouting slogans is useless. If Philip had encountered this situation and said, “I believe the people will be full; they are not hungry anymore!” Would declaring that make the people no longer hungry? They would still be hungry, so this is a very practical problem.
Many believers only learn to declare; when faced with problems, they shout a few slogans, thinking that will solve the issue. As a result, they shout for days, and nothing changes. They start to feel weak: “Is my faith not big enough? Is my method wrong?” In fact, Jesus used the truth to genuinely solve the problems in reality. It is clear that Philip did not use his faith in this situation. He saw the reality but did not view the problem through the lens of faith; his perspective was still limited to worldly rules.
So he said to Jesus, “It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” This was actually a hypothetical situation, saying that if we took half a year's wages to buy bread for everyone, each person would only get a little, and it still wouldn't be enough. Another fact is that even with half a year's wages, you still couldn't buy enough bread.
Half a year's wages in the original text refers to two hundred denarii. At that time, a worker's daily wage was one denarius, so two hundred denarii was about seven or eight months' wages. Clearly, first, a lot of money would be needed; secondly, even if you had that much money, buying that much food all at once would not guarantee you could get it. Even if you did manage to buy it, each person would not be satisfied. Human methods do not work; human thinking and worldly reasoning cannot solve the problem.
Have we ever encountered similar situations? When faced with problems in life, it seems no one can solve them, and there is no way out; it feels hopeless and despairing. What should we do? You say you use the truth; how do you use this truth? If you do not understand, people might say, “There is no way.” But our Lord Jesus already knows what to do.
Matthew 19:23-26:
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
We must remember this conclusion: With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. This is the power of Jesus. The power of Jesus is to solve the problems of our lives, as well as the problems we face. Take entering the kingdom of heaven as an example; it is indeed very difficult for humans. No matter how hard you try, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven because the outcome has already been determined. Especially for those who have much wealth, they tend to rely on their riches, making it even harder for them to enter the kingdom of heaven.
When the disciples heard this, they said, “If that is the case, then it is impossible for us to enter the kingdom of heaven by our own efforts, isn't it?” Jesus said, “With man, this is impossible.” Jesus made it very clear: If a person wants to rely on their own efforts to enter the kingdom of heaven, that path is not feasible; it is absolutely impossible.
But with God, all things are possible. What is impossible through human effort becomes simple through God—through Jesus, it becomes easy because Jesus has accomplished all of this.
The road to the kingdom of heaven is broken; no matter what people do, they cannot meet God's requirements and standards. Jesus Christ came and established a bridge between God and man, using Himself as the bridge. As long as people go through Jesus, they can easily reach the Father. It is as if Jesus has completed everything and is waiting for people to come to Him to receive.
It is like Jesus is a great chef; He has already prepared all the meals. If you are hungry, you can go to Jesus to receive what He has prepared. The difficulty has been lowered to a level that everyone can reach. Even if you cannot cook that dish, it doesn't matter; He has already made it. What do you need to do? Just go to Him to receive.
Although the road to the kingdom of heaven seems difficult and impossible to complete by human means, Jesus has become that road; you just need to walk that road. We all can walk; everyone can do it. Unfortunately, it is too easy, and people do not believe it; they are unwilling to come close to Jesus and trust Him. Now let us see how Jesus solved such a dilemma.
Verses 8-11:
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About five thousand men were there. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
Earlier, Philip clearly calculated that even with half a year's wages, there would not be enough bread to distribute to everyone. Only a child's five loaves and two fish were available to share among so many people, which truly seemed like a drop in the bucket. The five loaves and two fish were originally a child's food, a very small amount; it would probably not be enough for one adult, but to distribute this little food to five thousand men was nearly impossible. Jesus' solution was, “Give this to me.”
So dear family, let us see how Jesus solved this immediate problem. We must believe one thing: what is impossible for man is possible for Jesus. Since five loaves and two fish seem insignificant to us, we should place them in Jesus' hands. What we consider small, when given to Jesus, He can transform into something extraordinary. Jesus can multiply it and fully supply the needs of the people.
First, Jesus had everyone sit down. Sitting down symbolizes stopping one's struggles and efforts, resting at the feet of the Lord. If a person loses their rest, they will fall into busyness. What kind of person loses their rest? It is someone who does not see that God has already prepared everything. Therefore, when faced with problems in life, whether it is pressure or troubling matters, they will try various methods to solve them.
Take business as an example; many people are afraid to go to church on Sundays, thinking that if they do, they will lose billions. But if they do not go, their business does not improve much either. So when they lose their rest, they choose not to go and instead try to solve their issues with their own methods. But in fact, if they do not go to Jesus to receive, does the situation improve? It seems not, yet they are still unwilling to give up. Ultimately, it is because they have not found rest in Jesus. Because they have lost their rest, they strive to compensate for their shortcomings.
Everyone must understand that rest is not doing nothing or lying down; it is knowing that Jesus has prepared everything. We go to Him to receive, and we do things within His word and preparation. For the people at that moment, it meant lining up to wait for food; that was what they needed to do. As for how the five loaves and two fish would feed so many people, that was not their concern; their job was to sit down.
So dear family, you must believe that sitting down is difficult. Especially in this generation, it is very hard for people to sit down because everyone has become accustomed to being busy. When did this start? It began with Adam. God said to Adam, “By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food.” Isn't that effort? People have always been striving, but does striving always yield good results? Not necessarily.
But people have become accustomed to striving. If you ask someone nearby to do nothing for a week except eat and lie in bed, will they feel guilty? Will they feel a sense of crisis? Of course, they will. So people now feel uneasy if they do not do something; they must do some work to feel balanced. This is the aftereffect of Adam's fall.
Especially when faced with problems, if you tell a person to sit down, they cannot. When facing mortgage payments, car loans, economic pressures, children, family, work, and a series of problems, if you tell them to sit down, they really cannot. Even if they come to church, it seems they have sat down, but their hearts are still filled with worry. Why is this? It is because they do not see Jesus' provision. If a person sees in the spiritual realm that Jesus has already provided, their heart will first calm down, and they will truly be able to sit down. Many people listen to the word; why can’t they absorb it? It is because their hearts are not at rest. They listen to the word while thinking about other things: What about that problem? What about this problem? How worrying! The word does not enter their hearts; although it may enter their ears, it might run out from somewhere else.
Take today’s situation as an example. If you were one of Jesus' disciples, knowing that Jesus was about to feed so many people, but there were only five loaves and two fish in His hands, what would you say to the crowd?
“Hello everyone, please line up in rows of fifty; you will soon be fed.” Is this a statement of faith? Yes. But if you do not believe in your heart that Jesus can accomplish this, when you ask everyone to sit down, will you feel anxious? Yes.
So dear family, are we not disciples of Jesus? Yes. Do you believe your Lord has the power to solve all your problems? You say, “I believe.” Then let us emulate the disciples today. Since Jesus instructed the disciples to do this, they should do so.
“Everyone sit down; soon our Lord Jesus will distribute food to you, and each of you will be satisfied.” This is how faith is spoken; you believe in your heart that Jesus can accomplish this. As for how it will be accomplished, that is not for us to consider. Many times we want to ask the Lord, “How exactly will you accomplish this? If you just tell me the detailed plan and execution method, I will have peace.” In fact, that is not called believing.
True belief is: I do not know how you will accomplish this, but I know you will. I just look forward to the good outcome; I will not limit you to a specific way of accomplishing it because your methods are countless. When we believe that God can do all things, our hearts will naturally find rest.
Even though the problems we face may be great, perhaps the debts are substantial, the environment is harsh, or the physical condition is poor, these are equivalent to five loaves and two fish trying to feed five thousand people. At this time, you must learn to draw strength from Jesus, hallelujah. This is a lesson; first, you must learn to sit down. When you cannot sit down, you will feel anxious, busy, and you will want to do something. If you act at that moment, things may become worse. It is better to sit at Jesus' feet and receive His words. Amen.
Jesus did not complain about having only a little bread and fish; instead, He thanked God for having that little bit. So He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. This was heartfelt gratitude and a genuine use of faith. Thank the Lord. We should emulate this aspect of Jesus because we must believe that even when we encounter problems in life, God helps us solve them. His power is upon us, and He certainly has this ability. Amen.
After the bread and fish were prayed over, the disciples distributed them to everyone according to their appetite, and everyone was satisfied. This is Jesus' solution. But everyone must understand the principles of using faith; you cannot have food at home and then pray, “Lord, please multiply my bread to fill the whole house.” That is not how faith is used.
Why did Jesus perform the miracle of the five loaves and two fish? It was because it was impossible to accomplish this in the natural realm, yet it had to be done, so Jesus used this method. But Jesus did not create bread every day to feed the disciples; most of the time, it was the contributions and provisions of others. It was just that today’s situation was special, so Jesus performed this miracle.
What we need to know is that God's power is limitless. Amen. Sometimes God helps us solve problems through other people in our lives, and sometimes it is through supernatural miracles. Regardless of the method, we believe that this God has this ability. Just as we believe that Jesus has provided dinner for nearly ten thousand people, everyone was satisfied. Previously, the Israelites in the wilderness received manna from God in the same way.
Exodus 16:16-18:
16 This is what the Lord has commanded: Each one is to gather as much as they need; take an omer for each person you have in your tent.” 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered just as much as they needed.
Thank the Lord, when the Israelites were led by God into the wilderness, there was no food, so God performed miracles for forty years to provide for their needs. Later, when they entered Canaan, the manna ceased in that autumn when they harvested. This is God's way.
So when you think there is no way out, when there seems to be no method in the world, that is when supernatural miracles happen. Amen. At other times, God gives us wisdom to solve these problems. Amen.
At that time, when the Israelites gathered manna, later when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little; each one gathered just as much as they needed. Hallelujah.
As I shared earlier, when the Israelites received the five loaves and two fish, they received according to their appetite, and in the end, everyone was satisfied. Perhaps we envy the Israelites in the wilderness for having manna, which was inexhaustible; we also envy the Israelites for having Jesus' provision of five loaves and two fish, receiving according to their desires. This is truly wonderful, but it seems that these miracles and their experiences have little to do with us.
Many people may feel that the Israelites were fortunate when they read about the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. In fact, these stories are related to us. You must see through these that God's provision is endless because whether it was the Israelites in the Old Testament or us believing in Jesus in the New Testament, we believe in the same God today, and His power has not diminished. If you can believe this, then such power will also occur in your life. You must let God enter your life, turning Him into faith and wisdom, and everything in your life will change accordingly.
John 6:32-33:
32 Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Every time the Bible says, “Very truly I tell you,” it indicates that the truth that follows is very important and closely related to each of us. What does Jesus say? “The bread that comes down from heaven is not the bread that Moses gave you, for the manna was not produced by Moses, but our heavenly Father gave them the true bread.”
Manna is not fake; it is real food. How can this real food come down from heaven? This is the great power of God. How can five loaves and two fish feed five thousand men? This is the real food given by God. So everyone must believe that those nearly ten thousand people in the wilderness were not pretending to be full; they were not filled in a vision; they were truly satisfied. This is the miracle that God performed for them.
Verse 33 says: “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
What does this refer to? Jesus Christ is the bread of life; He became the bread that came down from heaven. Is He a real person? Yes, Jesus is a real person. Why did He come to earth? So that we could receive His life. Amen. At the same time, He wants our lives to change.
So dear family, believing in Jesus is not just about being saved and entering the kingdom of heaven; He can also change your life. For example, if you have a disease in your body, you can rely on Jesus' body to receive healing; if your heart is filled with panic and fear, losing your rest, you can rely on what Jesus did on the cross to return to rest. Jesus is this bread; He can supply not only your physical needs but also your spiritual needs.
Your inner peace is also related to Jesus. When a person is full, but their heart is still anxious, unable to sleep, forgetful, irritable, and fearful, what should they do? Today, this belongs to the realm of psychiatry. How does psychiatry solve it? If you cannot find the source of this panic in your body, how do you heal it?
Using medication to heal the body, how do you heal the panic in the heart? This is a spiritual matter. You cannot just tell someone, “Don’t be afraid,” and expect them not to be afraid. “Don’t panic,” and expect them not to panic. How do we solve these issues? Jesus can solve them. Because Jesus is the true bread, He can heal our bodies and our hearts.
Therefore, on the path of pursuing the truth, we must be proactive, repeatedly receive, and often meditate. We must take the truth that Jesus gives us and receive it every day, meditating on it so that the words of Christ lead our daily lives. In this way, you can simply do what the disciples did: do as Jesus instructed you, and you will be able to easily resolve any difficulties you encounter. Hallelujah.
In life, we will have many choices. What should we do when we do not know how to choose? At this time, you pray to God, and the Holy Spirit will guide you to make the right choice. Hallelujah. When to advance, when to retreat. When we advance, where should we advance? As I mentioned earlier, we should continuously advance in the truth, continually move forward, and live out the words of truth. Amen.
In life, when we do not know how to choose, you can rely on prayer. If God says to continue with this matter, then you continue; if God says to stop this matter, then you retreat. That is all. Are there many such miracles in the Bible? Especially among the prophets, they could hear God's voice and acted according to His words.
In fact, today the Holy Spirit can also reveal this to us. Amen. This is a relationship. When we continuously prioritize God's word, receive it, and meditate on it, you will truly understand God’s guidance for you today.
Just like I used to give advice to our brothers and sisters. For example, in 2019, I told everyone that if anyone had extra houses, such as more than two, they should sell them because the market was good at that time. Many people thought it would continue to rise for a long time. But after praying, God told me to tell the brothers and sisters to sell their houses. Did those who listened at that time benefit? What needed to be done was to retreat; you could not continue to invest, or you would get stuck.
Later, many people got stuck, and even now, many are still stuck. Who would have thought that the turning point was at that time? If they had not retreated then, they might have really been trapped. This is just one testimony from life, and of course, there are many such instances. Some may ask, “What should we do now?” You need to pray to God: “What should I do?” This is God's guidance for each of us, which is different. But there is a method; this method is to pursue the truth. If you continuously pursue the truth, you will know how God leads you to take the next step, and faith will generate tremendous energy, allowing you to experience extraordinary life.
Looking at verses 12-15:
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
They were satisfied, and there were leftovers, indicating that God's provision is abundant and sufficient. Therefore, dear family, no matter what you are facing in life, no matter what you ask of God, believe this: God's provision for you is absolutely sufficient. It will not just be enough; there will be leftovers.
No matter what you need, first come before Jesus, receive His words, and let rest enter your heart. Once you have rest, you can then obey God's words and act, experiencing His abundant provision. Of course, after experiencing this abundant provision, do not waste God's supply; cherish God's grace. Although it is easy for people to receive these things, they must still hold a heart of reverence.
Take the matter of the five loaves and two fish; if we think according to our current mindset, it was too easy for everyone to be satisfied at that time. Wasn’t it just a prayer from Jesus? So what if there are leftovers? In fact, for us, we merely received, but if people do not have a grateful heart and a heart of reverence, casually discarding the leftovers will lead to greed.
Today, one can ask Jesus for a piece of bread, but tomorrow they may ask for a piece of gold, and this kind of greed will be amplified without limits. Therefore, Jesus told the disciples, “Gather the leftovers.” Hallelujah, this teaches us to cherish every provision from God. Is our life not the same? When you experience God's great power in your life, cherish this provision from God. Hallelujah.
When the people saw the miracle Jesus performed, they made a very ordinary conclusion: they wanted to force Jesus to be king. Why? Because it was clear to everyone that following Jesus meant having food. This was what they could see at that moment. As a result, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.
Why did the people want to force Jesus to be king? It was for their own benefit because as long as Jesus continued to perform miracles, their food problems would be solved, and their health issues would be resolved. Isn’t this the two major problems we have been trying to solve until now? If one could live in this world without worrying about getting sick or about food, how happy would they be?
So at that time, the Israelites wanted to force Jesus to be king for their own interests. You must see that the word “force” indicates that this was not what Jesus wanted, but it was what the people wanted. They merely regarded Jesus as a tool. Today, how many people believe in Jesus for the same reason? They just want Jesus to satisfy their hearts, forcing Him to be king. As a servant, when his ministry bears great fruit, those who listen to his words often hope that he will continue to stay, and there will be many flattering words directed at him. People are often the most prone to pride.
So what should be done at this time? Retreating is the best wisdom; this is called leaving the stage after success. No matter where we work, once the work is completed, even if it has great results, such as someone being healed immediately or a problem being solved, what should we do? We should retreat and not enjoy that wonderful atmosphere alone; we should immediately return to God and continue to pray.
Jesus is our example in this regard because for Jesus, performing the miracle of the five loaves and two fish is not a big deal; there is nothing to be proud of or boast about. Amen. Because He can do so much more, when we pray for someone and they are healed, we should not think, “This is truly wonderful; I want to boast about it for several days.” Do not think this way; pray to God, and you will experience even more wonderful things.
People in the world, after achieving success, often want to achieve even greater success. Such people often do not end well. As children of God, we must know that after experiencing God's great power in our lives, what we should do is come before God to continue receiving, looking forward to the next guidance and revelation from God. This is what Paul meant when he said: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-16:
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
The Apostle Paul deeply understood this mystery. Throughout his life, he performed countless miracles, but you will find that after performing these miracles, he always emulated Jesus, retreating to continue praying to God. What was the benefit of this? He could receive more grace from God and experience more of God's great power. He was a person who pressed on toward the goal, not looking back but looking forward.
If you have achieved too many successful things and keep looking back, it is easy for a person to become proud. Therefore, Paul always looked forward. Who was ahead of him? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has already reached the finish line, so he continued to move forward toward that finish line of Jesus Christ. No matter how successful he was, he would not become proud because of it.
You say, in Paul's ministry, how many miracles did he experience, and how many people did he help? Paul did not boast or become arrogant because of this; he knew that God had more to give him, and God wanted him to experience even greater miracles. Hallelujah. After he prayed, God told him what to do next, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. Paul had faith and wisdom in this regard.
Verses 15-16 serve as encouragement for each of us: 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things.
Are you a mature person? In God's eyes, you already are. When you believe in Jesus, you are considered a mature person in God's eyes. What kind of mindset should you have? You should have the mindset of Paul. Do not think that you have already received a great abundance of grace; that is only a small part. You must forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal of Christ. Hallelujah. If you hold any other mindset besides this, God will surely make it clear to you; He will give you the correct guidance.
However, let us live up to what we have already attained. Each person receives differently, and each person's life is of different sizes; you must continue to move forward according to the revelation God gives you. When to advance, when to retreat; in this way, you will continuously experience wonders, abundance, and beautiful testimonies in your life.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you. Thank you for giving us such words, allowing us to have confidence and wisdom in knowing when to advance and when to retreat. We do not walk according to our own preferences but are willing to follow your will. You guide us on the right path, allowing us to continuously experience your great power in our lives. A new week has begun, and I believe the path you lead us on is the best. I do not wish to emulate this world; I wish to grow in the truth. Please help us. May the Holy Spirit also guide and renew our thoughts and minds, letting us know how to walk according to your truth. We also look forward to continually knowing you and experiencing your goodness this week. All glory be to our Father in heaven. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.