Most of us have been in a huge mall that we are unfamiliar with and have looked at a site map to see where we were in relation to a store or restaurant we were wanting to find. That little red dot with the balloon over it saying, “You are here,” became your reference point. Your next step, your plan for navigating the mall, the time you allotted to finding your favorite store, or whether you even had time to attempt to visit that store all depended on your reference point. Your reference point determines your belief about where you are, where you are going, and if your goal is even possible. Your next steps were organized around that perspective.
But what if the reference point was inaccurate or out of date or what if you read the map incorrectly? What if some joker had changed the reference point on the map so that you were not at all where you thought you were? When your reference point is wrong, life become a mess and you keep ending up in unintended and undesirable places.
Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is a reference point for the Christian life. It is a reference point for living and it makes all the difference. A clear example of that difference in found in a familiar story in John 6. Jesus was teaching along the shores of the Sea of Galilee where huge crowds were following him. In this account, Jesus asked Philip where they might buy bread to feed the crowds because they had not eaten all day. Philip immediately began a strategic analysis. First of all, there were about 5000 men plus women and children in the crowd. That translated to least twenty or twenty five thousand people in the crowd. Secondly, they were isolated and miles from any place that sold bread and it was highly improbable that anyone would have that much on hand even if a place were available. The final straw was cost. Philip quickly estimated that it would cost eight months wages to buy enough bread to feed the crowd anyway. If we assume that a month’s wages was equivalent to $4000 today, then we are talking about $32,000 to feed that mob one meal. The little band of disciples had nothing like that in their budget. Philip then deduced that the number might be reduced if there was already food in the crowd so a quick inventory was taken. The only inventory they could find was five small barley loaves and a couple of sardines. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that these people were not going to be fed. Perhaps, they should simply be sent away to find food for themselves.
The reference point for the apostles was the natural realm in which food and money are finite and numbers determine “real world” outcomes. However, Jesus lived from a different reference point. The apostles saw themselves rooted firmly in the natural realm while Jesus saw himself firmly rooted in heaven. There are no resource problems in heaven – no food shortages, no lack of money. Jesus simply determined by faith to draw on the resources of his Father’s kingdom. He blessed the barley loaves and sardines and then began to break them into pieces and place them in baskets to be distributed. When the entire crowd had their fill, the apostles took up twelve baskets still full of food. Each apostle had his own basket to consider.
Our tendency is to assign the miracle to Jesus as something only he could do. That would miss the point. The point is that we ourselves are currently children of the King, citizens of heaven, and representatives of Christ on the earth. By faith, we have as much access to the resources of heaven as Jesus did. He came to show us what was possible in the kingdom of God for every believer not what was impossible.
If our reference point for living is the natural realm, then we will always be faced with impossible circumstances – not enough money, not enough time, incurable diseases, the fear of terrorism, etc. If our reference point is the kingdom of heaven, then there is a solution to every one of those needs. We may not know what the solution is or how it will come, but by faith we can know there is a solution available.
We should be clear that heaven does not promise that we will never find ourselves in a storm. In fact, Jesus said that is this world we will have troubles. He himself seemed to move form one “storm” to another. But as we find ourselves in a storm, we can know that heaven has a solution. That reference point allowed Jesus to sleep in a boat that was being tossed around in a violent squall while the apostles were gripped with fear and the anticipation of doom. Our anxiety levels in life are directly proportional to our reference point for living. If our reference point is our own resources or our own abilities, then we have every right to be filled with anxiety. If, however, our reference point is the resources and capacities of our Father in heaven and his willingness to share those with us, then why should we worry at all?
Think about it. What is your reference point for living? What are God’s promises concerning his care, protection, and provision for your life in this world? By faith, we have free access to heaven’s resources. If our faith is small, we can ask for more. God is pleased to give.
