The Present

Life is a challenge. Loss of job, failure, setbacks, health, finances, and family challenges are things we all experience, and it can be overwhelming. And many times, you feel no one understands, and you must face these things alone. But you are not alone. Christ not only forgives us our past but empowers us to live victoriously in the present. “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Matthew 14:13-21

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were leftover. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

It was an impossible situation. A large crowd (over 5,000 men plus their families) had followed Jesus to a remote spot. As the evening meal approached, He was urged to send the people away to try and find something to eat. Instead, He provided more than enough for all of them. He took the little the disciplines had and made it more than enough.

That is what He does in our Daily Lives as well. He is not just the God of the past or the God of the future but the God of the here and now. He will meet us in our daily circumstances and provide the means to overcome.