Loaves, Fish, and Giants!

As I come before You tonight, Father, I would ask that I would put all else out of mind but You and Your word. May the reality of both fill my being. Amen.

Luke 9:12-17 (<<click to read the passage)

One of my favorite Bible stories is the tale of David and Goliath. It is one of those stories that we first hear in Sunday School as a child. Of course, I grew up with the high-tech medium of flannelgraph! One-dimensional characters of felt were cut out and placed on a felt background appropriate for the story being told. I tell you; it was highly entertaining! And we learned and remembered important lessons from God’s word! But back to David and Goliath…

Put side by side, there was no comparison. He was a worthy adversary for lions and bears (oh my!) but he, unlike Goliath, was not a battle-hardened warrior. David was probably of average stature but just a youth. Goliath, on the other hand, was a giant – the Bible says he was over nine feet tall!

The Bible says Goliath was wearing a bronze helmet, a bronze coat of mail (125 pounds!), bronze leg armor, a bronze javelin, a spear (the shaft as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam) tipped with an iron spearhead (another 15 pounds!). (1 Samuel 17:5-7 AMP)

And David’s entire defense apparatus? A shepherd’s staff, five smooth stones, and a sling!

Many thought him crazy, but David’s defense was more than staff, some stones, and sling

“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down…so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save with the sword or with the spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will hand you over to us.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (AMP)

So, in the Lord’s strength and power that’s exactly what David did! With a single stone strategically thrown from his sling, he took down the mighty warrior as the stone embedded itself deep within Goliath’s forehead. And he fell dead, to rise no more!

At this point, you are probably wondering, “What in the world does this have to do with Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000?” Well, let me tell you!

David may have been Israel’s lone “warrior”, but he was by no means alone. He proclaimed for all to hear, “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel”! (NIV)

When asked by His disciples to send the crowds away so they might find food and shelter, Jesus’ reply was, “You feed them.”

Many may have thought (for a moment at least) that Jesus was crazy, but just like David’s mind was not focused on his staff, stones, and sling, Jesus’ mind was not focused on food or money. He was the Lord Almighty! And He plus anything – or anybody – is more than enough!

There may be all kinds of giants around us – especially where we find ourselves today – and yes, we in ourselves are helpless. All we have – maybe! – is a staff, some stones, and a sling…or perhaps “five loaves of bread and two fish”. A paltry defense against the onslaught of this world but, my friend, if we come against those overwhelming circumstances in the name of the Lord Almighty” nothing – absolutely nothing – can stand against us, for the battle is the Lord’s! Take courage, cling to the Lord, for therein is the victory! Amen and amen!

Apr 7th, 2020, Tue, 6:52 pm

Interruptions

A day of getting a few things done, Father. Thank You for friends that could help out in a pinch. They may have thought it was no big deal but they sure were a blessing to us! I would ask for Your blessing upon them. Amen.

Luke 9:10-11 (<<click to read the passage)

One of the things that needed to get done today was trying to get our lawn tractor back to working order again. I had to make a run to pick up a replacement drive belt and dropped a few things off at my in-laws (all with social distancing in place).

When I got back home, I took care of a couple of other things and though I had intended to try my limited mechanical skills in putting the belt on the mower, I got sidetracked. As I sat down to get busy at the laptop, getting ready for next week’s service, Karen walked by and asked about the mower.

The first thing that went through my mind was that I was busy doing something important…and she interrupted me! But thankfully, my brain moved more quickly than usual, and I quickly processed that, yes, that was what needed to be done first and it was what I had intended on doing first. It was a really nice day today and the rest of the week we are supposed to get a fair amount of rain, so without much to-do, I shifted gears and headed out to the mower.

I could’ve gotten all defensive. I could have lashed out. But the good Lord helped me to respond in a manner worthy of the question Karen asked me. There was no reason to treat her badly. It was an innocent question. There was no malice and it was not asked derisively.

The feeding of the 5,000 is on the downhill side of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. It wasn’t at the end, but we are heading in that direction. He was at it constantly – healing those in need, teaching the crowds, teaching his disciples. He couldn’t catch a break it seems. He was fully God, but He was also fully man and our bodies require rest. Our minds need to slow down – and shut down on occasion, too.

When the Bible says, He took [His disciples] with Him and He privately withdrew [across the Jordan] to a city called Bethsaida” it wasn’t just for kicks and giggles. It was intentional, they needed a break.

That was His intent but…that is not what happened. He was interrupted! He was doing important stuff! …but humanity was why He had come to be amongst us. We are important to Him, too.

So, he stopped…everything he was doing…and “instead of showing impatience…Jesus welcomed the people and ministered to their needs.” *

As I have matured in my faith (and I still have a long way to go!) this is one area on which I have conscientiously worked. People – the people with whom I work, the people I love, the people that are part of my congregations – are more important to me than anything of “importance” on my agenda.

There are no coincidences. Nothing occurs by happenstance. God directs all of our lives. Now we can choose to cooperate or not, but I wholeheartedly believe that God’s hand is at work in our lives every day!

That person that just so happens to cross our path? They are there for a reason. And may we not slough it off as an inconvenience. May we be God’s ambassadors of hope to the world!

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation

Apr 6th, 2020, Mon, 7:21 pm

Unexplainable!

Father, I need that connection with You tonight as I sit to write. Clear out the refuse of my heart and brain and fill it to overflowing with You. Amen.

Luke 9:7-9 (<<click to read the passage)

I have to admit that one thing I am drawn to, is the unexplainable. Articles pop up while I am poking around on the web and I regularly check them out – unidentifiable things washing up on beaches, satellite pictures of weird things in weird places, etc. Most of them are explained in a matter of time and other things turn out to be of an iffy nature anyway.

Interestingly enough, in today’s passage “Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch [who governed a portion of Palestine including Galilee and Perea]” came across his own unexplainables. He heard about all that was going on and was “thoroughly perplexed” as to who was behind it all.

Though reality was right before their eyes, imaginations were running wild. The truth that Jesus was the Son of God was so beyond their comprehension that it was easier to come up with all kinds of other crazy ideas.

Many thought that Jesus must be someone who had come back to life, perhaps John the Baptist or another prophet. Some suggested that he was Elijah, the great prophet who had not died but had been taken to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:1-11). Very few found the correct answer, as Peter did (Luke 9:20). *

But don’t people today struggle to accept Jesus for who He is, as well?

How many times have we heard Him referred to as a good teacher? For some, it is just easier to believe that He didn’t exist at all.

Not too awful long ago, Karen and I enjoyed watching the movie The Case for Christ. It is based on the life of atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel…former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. As a journalist, he was bound and determined to prove, once and for all that there was no resurrection. Well, he proved something alright! He proved to himself that there was absolutely no way that there wasn’t a resurrection – and his life was changed forever!

All that the Bible has to tell us about Jesus Christ of Nazareth is true. Many throughout the millennia have tried to silence the truth. People like Strobel have attempted to disprove its authenticity…but to no avail! For He is risen! He is risen indeed!

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation

Apr 5th, 2020, Sun, 7:45 pm

Fear Nibbling at the Edges of My Mind

We had a good trip to see our doctor for med checks today. Thank You, Father, for safe travels and a good day out together. I am grateful for Your love and care!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Lord Jesus, tonight I am unsettled. Normally, I would just pick up with the next passage of Scripture but…I feel that I need to go another direction this evening. The problem is, I don’t know what that is.

One thing that I know I must do is to come alongside You. My run-of-the-mill life is on its head. Routines in which I have found comfort, are off track. I am not overwhelmed with fear, but I can feel it nibbling at the edges of my mind.

I know that I am Your child. I know, without a doubt, that You are here…with me.

Your servant, David, wrote so long ago,

.7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
 …Or where can I flee from Your presence?

.8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
 …behold, You are there.

.9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
 …If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
 ….And Your right hand will take hold of me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me,
… .And the night will be the only light around me,”

12 Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You,
….But the night shines as bright as the day;
….Darkness and light are alike to You. Psalm 139:7-12 (AMP)

Oh, what comfort is found in Your word. David didn’t just know of You, he knew You intimately. And most importantly, You knew David…and You know me.

Though others may refuse to acknowledge the truth, I – with the great assurance that comes with it – acknowledge that my life is in Your hands. Though my future seems so uncertain at this time, I must readily admit that it has never, ever been certain. I have never known what my future had in store for me…but You do.

Lord Jesus, I am sure that many others who read this have similar fears. But, Lord, many have also placed their trust – their faith – in You, as well. Keep us grounded. May You be our anchor in the storm that rages about us, for there is nothing to cling to but You. And what a blessing that is for truly that is all we need.

Here, too, is a song that I pray will shore up your confidence in our great God!

Apr 2nd, 2020, Thurs, 8:09 pm

Shake the Dust Off

Be heavy on my heart and mind tonight, Father, as I sit before You. May I communicate what is important to You, not me. Amen.

Luke 9:1-6 (<<click to read the passage)

As we continue through this time of global pandemic, it is shocking to see the number of people who have a total disregard for the dangerousness of it all.

At one point yesterday, as we ventured out for much-needed supplies, we had just gotten out of the van and a couple of young men had met up to get groceries themselves. One was wearing gloves and the other piped off with an air of flippancy, “Afraid you’re going to catch it?” The other guy basically expressed a better-safe-than-sorry response and offered his friend a pair of gloves. He refused, acting like it was a waste of time.

COVID-19 could be a death toll for many but not all. But every single one of us has an unescapable death sentence hanging over our heads. At some point, we will die. Hebrews 9:27 (NLT) declares,

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…

We cannot escape it. We can’t talk our way out of it. We can’t bargain our way out of it. We can’t buy or earn or bribe or cry our way out of it. Death is inevitable.

But…and this is a very big BUT…death is not the end. Yes, it’s the end of our earthly bodies but our souls are eternal and for those who have given themselves over to Jesus, glorified bodies will be had by all!

At the end of Jesus’ directions for His disciples’ ministry, He said,

“…as for all those who do not welcome you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet [breaking all ties with them] as a testimony against them [that they rejected My message].”

Shaking the dust of certain towns from their feet had deep cultural implications. Pious Jews would do this after passing through Gentile cities to show their separation from Gentile practices. If the disciples were to shake the dust of a Jewish town from their feet, it would show their separation from Jews who rejected their Messiah. This action also would show that the disciples were not responsible for how the people responded to their message. Neither are we responsible if we have carefully and truthfully presented Christ but our message is rejected. Like the disciples, we must move on to others whom God desires to reach. *

As I have said before, we can’t take it personally if people reject our message of hope. But we must certainly not stop passing through those “cities”, on a regular basis if need be, for seeds will be planted by our obedience and we never know when one will take root. The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT),

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

Shake the dust off but don’t hesitate to let the dust collect again!

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation

Apr 1, 2020, Wed, 7:54 pm

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