Cared for by Jesus

This is the third part of my address at ladies’retreat in Dongshan on April 28.

"Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead." (John 21, 12-14)

In this part of passage, we see that Jesus cared for his disciples in practical and tangible way by cooking their breakfast. It must have been wonderful to enjoy fish roasted on fire after long night out fishing. Jesus cares for each one of us personally as well. We need to be cared for by Jesus if we are to serve others effectively. I used to think that Jesus fulfills mainly my spiritual needs, and emotional needs are fulfilled by other people. Over the years, however, I have increasingly come to rely on Him to fulfill my emotional needs also. Let me give you an example. Once I took great effort to match my outfit for a special occasion, but nobody complimented or took a picture. I am not saying we should get compliments every time. I have myself not always been mindful to compliment others. However, it was a special need in my heart that night, which I was aware of and recognized. I turned to Jesus with this need and waited to hear His words of appreciation in my heart. And they came, some from the Song of Songs, and something extra, which was personal and connecting to my need. At times, a day or two passes without word of appreciation, compliment, or a warm hug, but I hear those words I need to hear from Jesus, I see Him embracing and encouraging me when people around me fail to do so. We need this kind of strong bond with Jesus to be stable and consistent in our walk and not to run dry.

Let me read again now from “Spirit blessings” by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunther: “Spirit, I bless you with a deep heart identity as God’s very own child, securely loved in His family, calling Him “Abba, dear Father.” I bless you with a settled assurance that He has a future and a hope for you for your best interests and His ultimate glory. I bless you with a deep knowledge that your Abba knows what you need and has all the resources of the universe to meet your needs. I bless you with confidence that you lack nothing you need in any way. I bless you with certainty that you are an heir with your brother Jesus to all your Father’s treasures. I bless you in the name of the Spirit of sonship. Spirit, I bless you with experiencing your Father’s faithfulness, His faithful love toward you, for your emotions to be aware, to know, to savor, to feel, to relish the love your Father expresses toward you. I bless you with experiencing it so often that you can never doubt your Father’s love. I bless you with no anxiety in the present, because God has spoken so richly in the past. I bless you with knowing that He will speak again at the right time and at the right place. I bless you with seeing so much of His protection that you will trust Him implicitly. I bless you in the name of your Eternal Dwelling Place.”