Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Fish Sandwiches

     BOOK REVIEW:   We ALL Get Hungry.  Eventually, inevitably, we notice that we lack something, and we wonder how our needs will be met. At times others jump in to take care of us, but ultimately God is the one at work to provide for us behind the scenes.
     This warm and down-to-earth book invites you to sit in on two of the most miraculous moments of human history, when one man took a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread and fed enormous crowds.
     Meet the Jesus who dares us to ask him for our daily bread, who makes promises and keeps them, and who regularly does immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

     MY REVIEW:   This book is based on two of Jesus' miracles: the feeding of the 5,000 (the only miracle besides the resurrection to be mentioned by each Gospel) and the feeding of the 4,000. The focus of the book is God the Provider (my words). I really liked the way it was written--engaging yet insightful. Troy Schmidt took several lessons from the account.
     The Compassion of God. Jesus fed the crowds who were following after Him. He could have left them be, they should have brought their own food. But out of His Compassion, He fed them. Troy explains the difference between compassion and sympathy: Sympathy + Action = Compassion. Until action follows, your sympathy doesn't do much.
     The Leftovers. This one was new to me. After the people were fed, the 5,000 had 12 baskets of food left. This crowd was mainly Jewish. The 12 baskets could have pointed to the 12 tribes, and the call to bless those like us. The 4,000 had 7 baskets left. They were mainly Gentile. The Gentiles were believed to have come from 7 nations that occupied the promised land. Therefore, their baskets could have showed the call to bless those different from us.
     Satisfied. The people had their fill and were satisfied. When we are getting our sustinence from God, we also will be satisfied. Satisfaction comes from a number of things. The ones outlined here are: trust, appreciation, getting what you need over what you want, and the promise of fulfillment. A phrase that summed it up nicely for trust is this: "We must trust God's timing to get us what we need, when we need it, or we'll never be truly fulfilled."
      I really liked this book and would recommend it. In closing I shall quote from Troy's closing.
"If you want to dine with Jesus, all you have to do is invite Him to the table. Jesus promises to come into your life and eat with you. There's another saying--'You are what you eat'. That's so true when it comes to Christ. You become one with Jesus as you consume Him. His life becomes your life. His dreams become your dreams. His plans become your plans. If your diet consists of God's fish sandwiches, you will become filled with hopes and promises from the lessons learned during the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Are you hungry? Are you ready? Dig in."  

   I recieved a copy of this book from TYNDALE PUBLISHERS and was not required to write a positive review.