Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Seeing our resources multiplied
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
Have you ever been called to a task that you are certain you cannot accomplish? Moses experienced that feeling and convinced God to have someone else be his spokesman (Aaron). Praise God for brothers and sisters who are obedient to God. They help us when we are unable to trust God’s ability for ourselves. Moses relied on Aaron and on his wife (to abate God’s anger at Moses’s disobedience). Together, as those who follow God and His Son, Jesus Christ the LORD, we are able to be part of God’s will on earth. It is no wonder the mystery of being one with the saints reveals such great riches, spoken of in Ephesians 1:18 “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints”. Truly, in our flesh we are humbled before Him and certain that we are inadequate. In Christ, we are aware of His glorious inheritance, more valuable than money, fame or riches- a right standing with our righteous judge. Do you understand the love of the Father for you?- Teresa #awe #wonder #Mercyandgrace #truth #readCaseforMiraclesbyLeeStrobel
For those who hear the word of God’s kingdom without understanding, they are left in a fog. Just as a bird snatches a seed off the trail, the evil one snatches the word right from their heart. The path of worldly wisdom is hard like packed dirt. When we walk on this way with the multitudes, we will have little chance to bring forth fruit for the kingdom. In order to absorb God’s word and receive His wisdom into our hearts, we must prepare the soil of our hearts. Our first step of faith is pure obedience which grows into love for the Savior and flourishes with gratefulness as we give thanks for His will being done in our lives. – Teresa #enduringthetribulation #castingourcares #eyeswideopentoriches #hear&understand
Rebekah obeyed God’s direction for her. She was willing to move to a strange land in order to marry Isaac. Isaac was comforted by Rebekah (after the death of his mom, Sarah, four years prior). I imagine that Rebekah ran their household as Sarah did. She knew the customs of Isaac’s parents and this was comforting to Isaac. After 20 years (along with the prayers of her husband) she gave birth to twin boys! The legacy Rebekah bore in her womb consisted of two nations who would be divided, The younger (Jacob) would be stronger and the older (Esau) would serve him (Jacob’s new name would be Israel). Similarly, we also bear two natures- the fleshly and the spiritual. That part of us which desires to nurture the flesh is divided against that which desires to follow the Spirit. Let us not despise that great gift God gives to us (our spiritual inheritance through Jesus Christ the LORD). – Teresa #livethelegacy #loveGodandothers #sellallforthepearlofgreatprice #choosethebestnotheeasiest
“Screwtape” was the name C.S.Lewis gave his character depicting a senior demon in his 1942 book, “Screwtape Letters”. Notice how God foreshadowed His plan for redemption from sin in the passage below, He outlined mankind’s original sin and the resulting curse, while alluding to the Savior who would be born (offspring of the woman) to crush Satan’s head. In the midst of deception and disobedience, God brings us good news of His mercy and justice. – Teresa #JesusChristheLord
Refreshing rain reminds me of the showers of blessing which quench our thirst during laborious days on the earth. Remembering His love -expressed to us in miraculous and very personal ways-is an important way for us to more easily pass it on to our families (the reason for our hope)! He has a loyal, steadfast love for us that is often masked by the pressures of earthly life. During Christmas, spending time in worship of Our Lord, let’s rediscover the showers of blessing that have satiated our thirsty lives? – Teresa #passiton #itonlytakesaspark #hopeflowsfromHim #takemebacktofirstlove
At Calvary Baptist Church, (where I attended as early as a baby in the nursery), we were blessed by many powerful sermons from pastors and missionaries. One Sunday, Ben Bertell spoke on this passage and promptly sang a song straight from the scripture (v. 17). His deep bass voice resonated joyfully as the teenagers (including myself), self-consciously smiled at each other but willingly sang along. His parents attended our church and when I was just 7 or 8 years old, they made a wooden cradle with a doll plus a handmade mattress, clothing and blankets to present to me. It was totally unexpected and secretly loved. All of us who were brought up to love God in that church had joy because it was the safety of this small community that gave us courage to spread our wings later into the world at large. Reading this passage again today reminded me of that beautiful Sunday. – Teresa #loudjoyfulsinging #Hislove
If all the holiday activities have left you weary and worn out, then look at the words of wisdom in Proverbs 30. There is One who ascended to heaven to atone for us by the healing of our sin. He come down to earth to create a new and living way. Jesus Christ the Lord has been named both Savior and Lord. God’s word is true and records the historical significance of this earth-shattering event. – Teresa #hecamefromheaventoearth #mydebtopay
Reconnection 