As I was reading the account of Jesus feeding the 5000, two thoughts occurred to me. First was the fact that after a time of intense ministry Jesus took his disciples away to be alone. I occasionally take a Personal Retreat Day. It is a day on which I try to get somewhere that has no cell signal nor internet. I take the day to pray, think, and review my ministry, my family, and my calendar. My goal for the day is to refresh and refocus. That is what Jesus was taking his disciples away to do.
The second thing that struck me is that when the disciples request that the crowds be sent away so they can go find food Jesus said, "You feed them." Their response? "We don't have enough food to feed them." That's how I feel sometimes when asked to preach or teach. I need, first of all, to take people to Jesus because he is the one that must feed them. Even when I feel adequate to the task, I need to remember that it is Jesus that must feed them. I have nothing to offer apart from him. I must also remember that this is exactly why Jesus brought them out away from the crowds. They had been ministering and needed to be fed themselves.
Today Lord, let me hear from you. Give me a heart tender to your Holy Spirit, and ears tuned to your Word. And if, while I'm trying to get away, you put someone in my path that needs to be "fed," may I have the wisdom and grace to point them to you.
The second thing that struck me is that when the disciples request that the crowds be sent away so they can go find food Jesus said, "You feed them." Their response? "We don't have enough food to feed them." That's how I feel sometimes when asked to preach or teach. I need, first of all, to take people to Jesus because he is the one that must feed them. Even when I feel adequate to the task, I need to remember that it is Jesus that must feed them. I have nothing to offer apart from him. I must also remember that this is exactly why Jesus brought them out away from the crowds. They had been ministering and needed to be fed themselves.
Today Lord, let me hear from you. Give me a heart tender to your Holy Spirit, and ears tuned to your Word. And if, while I'm trying to get away, you put someone in my path that needs to be "fed," may I have the wisdom and grace to point them to you.
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