My son is loving math. This is amazing because I am his teacher and I have never even “gotten” math. I give the credit to our homeschool curriculum: Life of Fred math series, created by Stanley F. Schmidt.
As thankful as I am to finally find a good math teacher, this past Sunday, my pastor reminded me of another mathematician I am even more thankful for. Jesus. I like Jesus’ math because he doesn’t follow any math rules…which I’ve never been good at remembering anyway. He has His own way of doing math. It surprises me and refreshes me.
I used to wonder how the math I had to take in school would ever impact me in my daily life…I still wonder that sometimes! But Jesus math can and should impact me every day…throughout my day.
The reminder of Jesus Math has me thinking…in new ways…of new possibilities…of just how might Jesus work His math in my life.
My son can tell me 5 + 2 = 7 but…does he have any idea what it means to him that Jesus turned five barley loaves and two fishes into food for more than 5,000?
5 + 2 > 5,000
And how does one life, given away, find a life?
And how does one man’s life redeem the many?
Jesus + nothing = everything?
Nothing + God’s word = creation of the world?
Do I have any idea…on an every day basis…what this means to me…to God’s people? That we have a God who practices this sort of math…
Jesus Math teaches me that when all is hopeless, there is actually more hope than ever.
Yes…the little may not be so hopeless. A little can go a long way.
And a ministry of Jesus is to show us our need and that we are in need of His intervention and provision. The Christian life is a life of dependence on Him.
I need Him in my marriage, parenting and the frustrations and pains of life where my own strength just doesn’t add up to be enough.
And as in His word where we hear about his providing for 5,000 + people out of 2 fishes and five loaves I am reminded that he not only supplies what is needed, but He is also capapble of providing a super abundance!
If I comtemplated this math daily…what would that look like? Would it change my thought life, my prayer life, my ability to trust God? My level of stress?
In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul says, “16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Is this possibly the biggest math prayer ever? For how can an eternal God be contained or Jesus’ love be measured? Perhaps with Jesus math it’s possible!
If anyone can answer this prayer, it is our God because the very next verse says this:
Ephesians 3:20-21- “20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Praying all who read this would be refreshed and renewed by the reminder of what is possible with Jesus Math!
Linking up with:
Thoughts today drawn from Darrell Jung’s sermon, “The Lord Provides”.
Images taken from google search images: etc.usf.edu and heartofthematteronline.com
