Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
When we are most weary (because the demand is great), remember that we have a lover of our soul who desires to indulge us. He sees our faithful offering of praise and service but mostly He understands that we are but dust. Trusting Him, we are amazed at the way He can multiply the resources needed. In His presence, our joy is full. Take time for devoted moments of rest and restoration. – Teresa #Blushparty@Adventure #lovelydaughtertolaughwith
Mark 6: 30 -44 (ESV)
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Early in the morning, we like to walk or exercise, sometimes before the sun rises- #nauticaldawn. We can feel the goodness stored up for a new day when the first rays breakthrough. Our job is to fear God more than the world system and to take refuge in His truth, thereby setting our nautical compass on true north. We can then reset our hasty assumption that meddlers and plotters will have the final say. Not so, God almighty has already stored up something great for those who love Him. We will see it in wonderful ways when under attack (in the besieged city) even if those who scoff feel they are getting the upper hand. Because we cry for His mercy, He hears and more than ever will work out our deliverance. -Teresa #trustHiscoverandshelter #Godgoodnessisabundant #resistplottingbutdopray #Godspaybackisabundant #captivatedwithHisgloriouspresence
Proverbs 7 exalts wisdom as the way to navigate the seduction of a wily woman. There are also wily men out there, so as we teach our children about successfully entering and staying in healthy relationships, we must remind them to cling to wisdom. To protect the heart is most important because it protects the life of our existence (Proverbs 4:23). Foolishly giving our hearts to fakery (outward glitter with no depth of character) or smooth words (promising love and material comfort with no grit on their resume) may lead down a slippery slope of no return. Wisdom teaches us to build the house carefully, until each room is filled with expensive treasure. (Proverbs 24: 3 -By wisdom a house is built,and through understanding it is established;4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasure.) In other words, don’t be hoodwinked! If you give up your heart to someone, ensure that both you and they have developed character and grit to go the distance. Protect that relationship by nurturing your intimacy. Most importantly, does the love of our Savior lead the way as an ultimate example of laying down our lives for one another? This type of love may not be glitzy but it is gritty and extremely fulfilling.- Teresa
Reconnection 