Receive His gifts, and see His body grow!

Devotions for Tuesday, January 2, 2018: Ps 33, 34; 1 Ki 19:1-8; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:1-14

Righteous ones, rejoice in the Lord!  Praise YHWH with lyre and harp; sing a new song to Him, and play with all your might and skill!  For His word is upright; He is altogether faithful.  God loves righteousness and justice; the creation is filled with the steadfast love of the Lord.  He spoke, creating the heavens; the host of galaxies arose by His breath.  He is Master of the seas and waters.  Let all the living stand in awe of our God; He brings the counsel of nations to naught, while His counsel stands forever.  Blessed is the nation whose God is YHWH, the people He has chosen for Himself.  He sees and knows all that goes on among us on earth; He regards those who rightly fear and honor Him--those who hope in His steadfast love, Who Is our Help and Shield.  Let Your steadfast love rest with us, dear Lord!  Let us all exalt His name together; let us look with love and expectation to God, Who saved me.  Taste and see:  the Lord Is good; those who seek Him lack no good thing.  Anyone with sense desires life and seeks to enjoy what is good--so keep your tongue from speaking evil, your lips from deceit.  Pursue peace, for God regards those who do what is right.  He Is near to the brokenhearted; He redeems His servants; those who take refuge in Him will not be condemned.

After Elijah overthrew and slaughtered the priests of Baal, King Ahab complained to Jezebel, and she threatened the prophet's life.  So the prophet fled to Beer-sheba, and there abandoned his servant.  Alone, Elijah wandered a day's journey into the desert, and then sat down under a broom tree, ready to die.  He lay down and slept there; presently, an angel appeared and touched him, and said to Elijah, 'Get up and eat.'  Near his head lay a baked cake and a jar of water.  So he ate and drank, and lay down again.  The Lord's angel again came and touched him, saying, 'Arise and eat, for otherwise the journey will be too great for you.'  So Elijah arose, ate and drank once more, and in the strength receive thereby, he traveled forty days and nights, arriving at Horeb, the mountain of God.

In his letter, Paul wrote: 'As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you: lead a life worthy of your calling--with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope, by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, Who Is above all and through all and in all.  But grace was apportioned to each of us according to the measure of the Messiah's gift.  Thus is it said, 'When He ascended He led a host of captives, and give gifts to men.'  This implies that He had also descended into the lower parts of the earth.  And He Who descended also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.  And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, so as to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature humanness, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ--so that we may no longer be children, tossed to a fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him Who Is the head, into Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which He supplies it, when each part is working properly, effects bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love. 

Jesus traveled to the east side of the Sea of Galilee.  A multitude followed Him, because they had witnessed His great signs in healing many who were diseased.  Jesus ascended a mountain and sat down with His disciples.  It was shortly before the Jewish Passover.  Gazing across the approaching multitude, Jesus said to Philip, 'How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?'  Philip answered, 'Two hundred denarii--more than a half-year's wages--would not buy enough for each to get even a little.'  Andrew spoke up: 'There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they before so many?'  Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.'  There was a lot of grass at this place, so the crowd--five thousand men, plus women and children--sat down, as Jesus' disciples directed.  Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated; likewise with the fish.  Everyone got as much as they wanted.  And when all had eaten their fill, Jesus directed His disciples to gather up the leftovers.  They filled twelve large baskets with fragments left by the crowd.  When the people saw what Jesus had done, they said, 'This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!'