"Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone."
John 6:13-15
It seems that the five thousand people that Christ fed wanted to make him a king, by force, and so he left to get away from them. To me, that reinforces the idea that no matter how much we love God, sometimes we get it wrong... maybe loving him for the wrong reasons, or expecting him to take a certain role in our lives or in the world. When we feel that we want to force God to do something, then we've lost the thread of understanding that we need in order to work with him according to *his* will.
Today, let's look to God for help, but when we are blessed let's not assume it is because God approves of us giving him deadlines or ultimatums, or is willing to bow to any "force" that we could bring to bear. Instead of seeing blessings as God's unlimited approval of our opinions and attitudes, let's humbly work with him to learn *his* opinions and commandments, bending our lives and our will to his rather than foolishly expecting it to be the other way around. God loves us and wants to bless us, but as with any parent, there are rules and boundaries that we need to cooperate with in order to stay safe, sane, and to grow and learn further. Let's remember who is the parent (and immortal, all-wise deity) and who the child in this relationship, and respect God accordingly.
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