Advice from First Grade

Question to think about: Are you willing to stop . . . look . . . and listen before you proceed?

I learned important life principles in first grade.
My teacher told us about the perils of railroad crossings and how to prevent disaster.
The advice works for life:
Stop . . . stop moving. Take time to breathe. Make sure you have margin.
Look . . . take time to see the presence of God.
Listen . . . shut out the noise of the world and listen to the word of God.
Proceed with caution . . . live intentionally and purposefully.

Life is a process; however, we often are looking for a quick fix. The people that were in the physical presence of Christ wanted a drive-thru experience. They reminded Jesus of the manna that had been provided to their ancestors in the desert:
Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
Jesus responded, "The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world." (John 6:31-33, The Message)

What did the people miss?
The Bread of Life had come. Jesus provided thousands of people with more than enough bread from five loaves . . . revealing that Christ is the sustainer of Life . . . bringing more to life than can ever be imagined.

What do we miss?
The presence of the Bread of Life . . . the fulfillment of life.

My first grade teacher gave the best advice . . . stop, look, and listen before you proceed . . . meet with the Bread of Life . . . receive.

Learning with you to adhere to the advice,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)