Luke_9

 

Scripture:

Luke 9:13-17¹³ He replied, “You give them something to eat.”They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” ¹⁴ (About five thousand men were there.)But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. ¹⁶ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 

Observation:

The chapter begins with a reminder that when Jesus called the twelve, they were given “power and authority” – and nothing else.  The power and authority to “drive out demons and to cure diseases” was all they were to bring – no extra clothes, food, no bag to carry anything in.  They were fully equipped for the journey.  

Understanding:

The miracles of Jesus multiplying food are some of my favorites. 

1. I love food.
2. I love the picture of provision it shows – even in the seemingly logistically impossible.

And…right now, in the midst of the pandemic, that provision message hits different. As we look ahead into a bunch of unknowns, many are filled with fear, scarcity thinking and, logistically speaking, that thought process makes sense.  But, what’s awesome, is we serve a God that makes sense of the nonsense, makes possible what seems impossible – whether that’s stretching two fish and five loaves to feed five thousand or stretching your last paycheck to last two extra weeks…or whatever the circumstances may be.  And, in true Jesus fashion, there will probably be leftovers!And what did the disciples have to do to make it possible?  They collected the fish they had, they put what they had in Jesus’ hands, then they took what Jesus gave them and distributed to the people, then picked up the leftovers…and “they all ate and were satisfied.” 

Life Application:

Remember the source.  Everything we have comes from Him. Remember he can do far more with a portion of the total than we can do with the total.Give Him the first fruits. Distribute the rest as He directs.Trust that God’s got you covered with what’s left. Rei

Isaiah_46

Scripture:  Isaiah 46:9-10  Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ Observation-What does it say?  Chapter 46 of Isaiah takes place during Israel’s exile to Babylon.  In this section of the book (chapters 40-55), Isaiah is proclaiming the period of salvation for Israel and God bringing them out of captivity and judgement.  Although they had suffered His judgement-which was a result of their disobedience-He still loves them and cares for them.  Where chapters 1-39 spoke of a future king, chapters 40-55 speak of a coming servant who carries out God’s purpose at great cost.  Chapters 46-47 addresses the submission of God’s people to pagan idols and the burden these idols place on the backs of those who worship them.  But God, the real God, carries our burdens and has the ability to act on our behalf. Understanding-What does it mean?  The other day, I responded to an alarm call at work.  I found out from a neighbor, the homeowner had set the alarm off themselves as they left the house and would be back soon.  As a precaution, I did a check around the house to make sure there were no signs of a burglary before they arrived.  In the backyard, behind a pile of boxes and underneath a loose covering, I saw a motorcycle that looked as if it had been forgotten.  As I got a closer look at it, I saw it was a Harley Davidson and my interest peaked, because it was clearly older than me.  When the man and his wife of 60 years got home, I advised them their house appeared secure and jumped right into the important question.  “How old is that Harley?” It turned out to be a 1941 Harley Davidson servi-car and he had owned it since he was 15.  For the next twenty minutes or so, I spoke with this couple and their neighbor about cars and things of the past, how he had driven 150 miles an hour for nearly ten minutes in his Pontiac, which was also in the backyard.  The conversation reminded me that people often go through some pretty crazy things during life, and most often come out alright on the other side. In Christ, we have the ultimate security that things will be alright.  Actually, things are going to be much better than alright.  God has great and wonderful plans, which he always comes through with.  We know that He is “the same yesterday and today and forever!”(Hebrews 13:8).  His plans are for us to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11), and they always turn out for our good (Romans 8:28-30).  Despite all of the “uncertainty” of today, we can be certain that our God prevails. Life Application:  Jesus, help me to learn how to pray.  When I am anxious, help me to lay all my cares on you and actually trust you.  Even as things are uncomfortable and unknown, I know that my future is secure in you and that I have no reason to fear.  

-Tyler Galloway

Isaiah_45

Scripture - What stood out?

Isaiah 45

4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,

    of Israel my chosen,

I summon you by name

    and bestow on you a title of honor,

    though you do not acknowledge me.

5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;

    apart from me there is no God.

I will strengthen you,

    though you have not acknowledged me,

6 so that from the rising of the sun

    to the place of its setting

people may know there is none besides me.

Observation - What does it say?

In this chapter Isaiah’s prophesy, which I am defining as a message from God which sometimes refers to future events, concerns Cyrus who will end the Babylonian exile of the Israelites. The chapter goes on to reveal and reiterate the characteristics and nature of God as best expressed in our words and ideas.

Understanding - What does it mean?

Several things stood out to me from the above verses. I have since gone back and re read these three verses 5 additional times mulling them over in my head and in my heart asking God to reveal to me what he meant by them. This is what I believe He imparted to me: God desires to be acknowledged...by us. 

While verse 4 has a very literal interpretation (the Israelites were in agony, having been in Babylonian captivity), I also felt HS show me of one other. I think it is easy for Christians to sometimes envy the relationship that God had with the nation of Israel. Look at how they are spoken about by Him, “Israel my chosen”. If you are a Christian, you long to hear those words spoken aloud by God about yourself. And as I thought these thoughts I remembered the promise spoken over Isaac and Abraham in Genesis 22:18 “...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

God’s blessing over me, over all of us came through Jesus, who came for not one nation, but all nations on earth. It’s why sometimes God summons you by name, even though you don’t acknowledge Him. 

There is no mention of love in the above three verses. But I remember a time when I walked onto a dance floor and desperately wanted my childhood crush to just notice me. She never did. Her heart belonged to another. However, I contend that God’s heart does belong to you. You are His childhood crush. And he desperately wants you to notice Him. 

Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?

I choose to take notice of you today. I will notice you in the beauty of the outside world and the beauty of the inside world. I will take 5 minutes today and just think about how my whole life you have been calling out to me. By name. Even though for so long I did not acknowledge you.

I love you Lord,

-kenneth lee