'Food for Thought' is the free monthly, Bible-based meal for individual digestion or group feasting, and is a work of the Holy Spirit.
January 2025 - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
"Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him. It was you, not your children, who had these experiences. You saw the Lord's greatness, his power, his might, and his miracles" (Deuteronomy 11:2-3a GNB/TEV).
The above passage of Scripture is a record of what Moses said to the people of Israel to remind them of the great and amazing things that God had done for them (Deuteronomy 11:4-7). The people of Israel had many encounters with God, and through their experiences they learned about him. The Bible is full of stories of people who had close encounters with God. Here are some to read about:
* Adam and Eve interacted with God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:27-29; 2:15-18).
* Noah was instructed by God to build an ark (Genesis 6:12-22).
* Abraham was told by God to leave his native land and all his relatives, and go to a country that God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3).
* Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30).
* Moses encountered God in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6).
* Samuel was called by the Lord whilst he was sleeping in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 3:1-14).
* Elijah stood before the Lord on a mountain top and heard the Lord in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:8-16).
* Jesus' disciples and followers saw and talked with the risen Christ (Luke 24:13-49).
* Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-8).
We can learn a lot about God by reading Bible stories of other people's encounters with him, but intimate relationship with God happens when we have our own encounters. It is the difference between reading the biography of a person, and living with the actual person. It is not just knowing about God through other people's stories, but knowing God personally -- walking and talking with him, being in oneness with him, "writing" our own story. Jesus died so that we could have a close relationship with God, and he prayed for the oneness of believers:
"May they (believers) be in us, just as you (God the Father) are in me and I am in you. May they be one as we are one" (John 17:21-22).
"I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one" (John 17:23).
When we are all in oneness with God, we will all be one with each other, and there will be no division in Christ's body, the church.
Don't believe others who tell you that God doesn't do amazing things today. Our God is the God who works miracles (Psalm 77:11-14). Open your spiritual eyes and see the miracles happening all around you. "[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
Don't believe others who say that God doesn't speak today. Our God is not an idol made of wood or stone or metal that cannot speak or hear or see (Psalms 115:2-7; 135:15-17). Read Acts 10:1-33 and notice the various ways that God communicated with Peter and Cornelius. Listen to the encounters that other Christians have had with God. Some people won't share their experiences unless asked because, sadly, many churches discourage individual believers from speaking about their encounters with God. But it is spiritually uplifting to hear the stories of others living in our own time -- they are testimony to a living and active God, and encouragement for us to get to know him better.
Why not make a New Year's resolution to get closer to God in 2025?
To Subscribe
Please click the SUBSCRIBE button below, enter your email address in the box provided, and click the SUBSCRIBE button a second time. Thank you.
"Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him. It was you, not your children, who had these experiences. You saw the Lord's greatness, his power, his might, and his miracles" (Deuteronomy 11:2-3a GNB/TEV).
The above passage of Scripture is a record of what Moses said to the people of Israel to remind them of the great and amazing things that God had done for them (Deuteronomy 11:4-7). The people of Israel had many encounters with God, and through their experiences they learned about him. The Bible is full of stories of people who had close encounters with God. Here are some to read about:
* Adam and Eve interacted with God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:27-29; 2:15-18).
* Noah was instructed by God to build an ark (Genesis 6:12-22).
* Abraham was told by God to leave his native land and all his relatives, and go to a country that God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3).
* Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30).
* Moses encountered God in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6).
* Samuel was called by the Lord whilst he was sleeping in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 3:1-14).
* Elijah stood before the Lord on a mountain top and heard the Lord in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:8-16).
* Jesus' disciples and followers saw and talked with the risen Christ (Luke 24:13-49).
* Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-8).
We can learn a lot about God by reading Bible stories of other people's encounters with him, but intimate relationship with God happens when we have our own encounters. It is the difference between reading the biography of a person, and living with the actual person. It is not just knowing about God through other people's stories, but knowing God personally -- walking and talking with him, being in oneness with him, "writing" our own story. Jesus died so that we could have a close relationship with God, and he prayed for the oneness of believers:
"May they (believers) be in us, just as you (God the Father) are in me and I am in you. May they be one as we are one" (John 17:21-22).
"I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one" (John 17:23).
When we are all in oneness with God, we will all be one with each other, and there will be no division in Christ's body, the church.
Don't believe others who tell you that God doesn't do amazing things today. Our God is the God who works miracles (Psalm 77:11-14). Open your spiritual eyes and see the miracles happening all around you. "[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
Don't believe others who say that God doesn't speak today. Our God is not an idol made of wood or stone or metal that cannot speak or hear or see (Psalms 115:2-7; 135:15-17). Read Acts 10:1-33 and notice the various ways that God communicated with Peter and Cornelius. Listen to the encounters that other Christians have had with God. Some people won't share their experiences unless asked because, sadly, many churches discourage individual believers from speaking about their encounters with God. But it is spiritually uplifting to hear the stories of others living in our own time -- they are testimony to a living and active God, and encouragement for us to get to know him better.
Why not make a New Year's resolution to get closer to God in 2025?
To Subscribe
Please click the SUBSCRIBE button below, enter your email address in the box provided, and click the SUBSCRIBE button a second time. Thank you.