Five Loaves, Two Fish, One Boy

Wanna know what one of my all-time favorite stories from the Bible is?

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand.

I've read this story a gazillion times. As a child, I colored pictures of loaves & fish in Sunday school. As an adult, I've written and taught about it. I've heard dozens of sermons preached on it. Yet, despite its sweet familiarity, there is mystery about this amazing event. In fact, I think the older I get, the more mystery there is. When you really study the scriptures and try to imagine the reality of the events of that day, it's kinda hard to wrap your mind around the details.

The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand is found in all four gospels (Matthew 14, Mark 6 and Luke 9), but for this post I'm going to use the one from John 6:1-15. Why? Because this is the only book that tells us where the fish and loaves came from.

"...Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and a great crowd of people followed him..." v. 1-2

That crowd wasn't just a couple hundred people. It is estimated there were 5,000 men, plus women and children, bringing the total to between 10,000 - 20,000 people. They'd all heard about Jesus and were following him. Some believed he was the Messiah. Others were simply curious, while still others were out-and-out doubters. But there they all were, way out in the country, because of Jesus.

In the crowd that day was a boy (v.9). I'm going to imagine he was 9 or 10 years old. I remember my own boys at that age. Rambunctious. Happy. Adventurous. I think the boy in our story was having a blast running around with his friends that day. His parents were probably in the crowd of onlookers, but he was too busy to really pay attention to what this guy Jesus was saying. In fact, he was so busy having a good time he forgot to eat the lunch his mom packed for him.

By afternoon, our boy starts to get curious about Jesus. He's heard his parents talk about the miracles Jesus did, and he'd like to see one. He inches closer to where Jesus is sitting with his disciples and overhears this conversation:

"Send the crowd away so they can go find food and lodging," the disciples said to Jesus. 

"Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Jesus asked Phillip. He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

"Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Phillip replied. 

"You give them something to eat," Jesus tells the disciples.

I image the disciples turned to one another with "What in the world are we gonna do now!?" looks on their faces. They probably had a couple bucks between them. How could they possibly buy enough food to feed everyone?

This is when the boy might have tugged on Andrew's cloak, sneaking a peak at Jesus. "I have some fish and bread you can have."

I can almost imagine Jesus winking at the boy and the boy grinning broadly.

"Have the people sit down," Jesus said.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 

Amazing!

Five-thousand-plus people ate their fill, with 12 baskets of leftovers! Don't you know that boy's life changed that day! He had a front-row seat to one of the most awesome, miraculous events to ever take place. Out of a crowd of 20,000 people, God saw that kid, whose name we will never know, and said, "I'm going to use him for My glory, for My purpose."

There are so many lessons in this story. Here are some I've been pondering lately:

• When God created those 2 small fish, he knew he would feed a multitude with them. 
• When the boy's mother baked the 5 loaves, she had no idea God would use them in a miracle. 
• The boy chose to give his lunch to Jesus. 
• Other people in the crowd most likely had food, but they chose not to give it to Jesus. 
• There were people in the crowd who had done terrible things, yet Jesus fed them. 
• I can't feed the 5,000 on my own. I just have to bring my loaves and fish to Jesus and let him do the rest. 
• God sees you. He already knows. He already has a plan to use you for His glory. Trust him.

Blessings,

~Michelle

Who Are You Listening To?

As a mother, I am used to talking without being heard. Oh, they hear my voice, but they don't actually hear my words. I can't count the times I've had to repeat instructions or information because my kids didn't hear me the first time...or the second...or the third. You get the picture.

But I am not without guilt when it comes to listening. I can clearly recall times when I've felt God asking me to do something or make some changes in my life, but I didn't act on those instructions right away. I paid a pretty high price on one occasion. Had I listened and obeyed, I could have saved myself and my family a whole lotta trouble!

Why are we humans so stubborn? Why do we often think our plans are better than God's?

A prime example of this took place in Genesis. Beginning in Chapter 13, verses 14 thru 16 we read:

"The LORD said to Abram (later known as Abraham) after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted."

Three times God uses the words "your offspring" or "your seed." Clearly He means Abram's children and grandchildren will inhabit the land. Later, in Chapter 15, Abram is still trying to figure out what God meant, because he and his wife Sarai didn't have any children at that point. He thinks maybe God meant a trusted servant in his home would become his heir. But that wasn't God's plan or his words.

"[God] took [Abram] outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars---if indeed you can count them." Then he said, "So shall your offspring be." (v. 5)

Seems pretty clear to me that God is telling Abram that he and Sarai will one day have children, who will have children, who will have children, and so on and so forth. Right?

But like a kid that isn't really listening when his parents speak, Abram and Sarai didn't listen to God. Oh, they heard him. They heard his voice. In Genesis 15:6 it even says "Abram believed the Lord." So what happened between that verse and Chapter 16 where Sarai takes her maidservant Hagar and gives her to Abram as his wife so she can bear him children?

Maybe it was waiting 25 years for God's promise to finally come true. That's a long time to wait for a baby, especially as you get older and older and older. Maybe it was doubt that God would keep his promise or that he even remembered his promise. I can look back on my own life and see times when I didn't fully obey God, didn't fully listen to his instructions, often with my own ideas and agendas getting in the way. Like I said, I paid a very high price in one particular case. Thankfully, God got my attention and things eventually worked out, but it took a long time to get back to where we should have been in the first place had we been listening to God the whole time.

Sarai listened to her doubts and fears and took matters into her own hands. Abram listened to Sarai. (Genesis 16:1-3) The result: a child name Ishmael and generations of trouble. Reminds me of Adam and Eve in the garden. (Genesis 3) Eve listened to the deceiver. Adam listened to Eve. Neither listened to God. The result: Sin entered the world, and the couple got booted out of paradise.

These examples beg one question:

Who are you listening to?
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This week's Prayer Shout Out countries are:
USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Rwanda, Dominican Republic

Lessons From Lazarus

One of my all-time favorite stories from the Bible is about Lazarus. Not only is it mind-boggling that he really, truly died and was raised to life again, but there are so many, many powerful nuggets of truth sprinkled all throughout John 11. 

Let's dive in!

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick." (John 11:1)

We don't know what was wrong with Lazarus, but it was obviously pretty serious. One thing we do know about Lazarus is that he and his two sister's were counted among Jesus' friends. Back in Luke 10:38 Jesus is a guest in their home. In Mark 14:3 and John 12:3 Mary is found pouring out an expensive jar of perfume on Jesus to anoint him before he goes to Jerusalem. And when Jesus is told that Lazarus is sick, he says, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep." (John 11:11)

Let me stop here and ask you a vital question: Are you a friend of Jesus? Is he welcome in your home? Would you give him your best? Does he call you friend? If you answered 'no' to any of those questions, I hope and pray you will do what you need to do to change your answers to YES before another minute passes!

When Jesus finally makes his way to Bethany, Mary and Martha are understandably upset. Their beloved brother is dead. They know, too, had Jesus been there, Lazarus could have been healed.

"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." (John 11:21-22)

Martha believed Jesus was the Christ (v. 27). She knew he had power to do something amazing. But what?

When Mary arrives where Jesus is, her tears move him so deeply that he himself weeps. (v. 33-35) To me, the two simple words of John 11:34 -- "Jesus wept" -- are two of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible. Jesus already knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, so his were not tears of mourning. Rather, they were tears of compassion. He loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus so much that their pain became his pain. The depth of their love and loss moved him to the point of weeping.

Friend, my heart tells me that Jesus still weeps with us when we hurt. I believe His love for us still runs so deep that he feels our pain in his own heart. I find that truly, truly comforting.

Finally, Jesus goes to the tomb where Lazarus' body was buried and he does the unthinkable. He asks for the stone to be moved away from the entrance. Martha is horrified. "But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days." (v. 39)

Funny how Martha's faith from just a few verses ago has now slipped. Isn't that just like us humans? We say we believe something, yet when it's tested we aren't so certain anymore. Yes, Lazarus was dead. His body would have already started to decay. I can't imagine the odor that would have come out of that tomb.

But God is a God of the impossible.

Back in John 5:25 Jesus declared something that Martha, Mary, you and I should never forget:

"I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live."


Do you get it?!

Not even a dead, decayed, stinky, rotten, maggot-filled body can be prevented from hearing the voice of Jesus! Death cannot separate us from Him! (Romans 8:38) So, if even Lazarus heard Jesus say, "Lazarus, come out!" (v. 43), it isn't at all crazy to believe that YOU and I can hear the voice of Jesus calling to us! Calling us out of sin. Calling us out of unbelief. Calling us out of eternal death.

"Take off the grave clothes and let him go." (v. 44)

Can you imagine how cool it would have been to be there to see Lazarus wrapped up like a mummy, walking out of the grave?! And don't you know he had some a-mazing stories to tell?

Wow!

Who knew we could learn so much from a dead guy!

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This week's Prayer Shout Out Countries are:
USA, UK, Australia, Germany, India, Ukraine, Greece, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Taiwan, Mongolia, Singapore

The Edge of His Cloak

A number of years ago I read a phrase in a Bible story that grabbed hold of me and has never let go. It's found in the New Testament story of the woman with the bleeding issue. She'd had this terrible medical issue for twelve long years. She'd sought help from doctors and healers and had spent all her money trying to get well. Nothing worked.

But one day the most wonderful event happened. JESUS came to town! Large crowds followed him. People with every disease and deformity hurried to him to be healed. This woman, however, didn't have the courage to approach Jesus directly. I imagine she was ashamed of her illness. Maybe she'd been told her sin or those of her parents was the cause of it. Yet despite her lack of boldness and maybe even her shame, she knew Jesus could heal her and she wasn't about to let anything stop her from receiving it.

"Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, 'If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Matthew 9:20-21

Or in Luke 8:42-44: "As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped."

That is faith in action, folks!

She wasn't bold, but she was determined.
She wasn't pushy, but she had a mission to accomplish.
She didn't doubt but trusted in the power of God.

Imagine what would happen if more people simply reached out to touch the edge of Jesus' cloak!

I would have thought the woman would be filled with joy once she knew she'd been healed, but Mark 5:33 tells us that "knowing what had happened to her, [the woman] came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the truth."

I'm guessing the poor woman suddenly thought she'd taken something from God without asking. But Jesus didn't see it that way.

"Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." v. 34

I love, love, love that Jesus referred to her as 'daughter.' And I love, love, love that I am his daughter too! I can reach out and 'touch his cloak' any time I want. And believe me, I have!

If you need healing in any area of your life, I encourage you to reach out to Jesus! Don't let shame or fear keep you away. He promises peace and freedom if you will put your faith in him!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:
USA, Spain, Brazil, India, Kuwait, Russia, Slovenia, United Kingdom, South Africa, Colombia, Germany

What Makes a REAL Hero

Heroes are hard to come by these days. I can't name a celebrity, sports figure or politician that I would consider a "hero." A hero is defined as: A person who is admired for courage or noble qualities. I think there are more everyday heroes that go unnoticed than there are heroes who make the cover of People or Time magazine. Our military, police officers and firemen are everyday heroes. So are people like the group of citizens who risked their lives to save an injured motorcyclist by pulling him out from under a burning car. They didn't know a camera was catching the whole thing on tape. They just knew a life was in danger and they sprang into action. They did what was right and good. That's heroism!

In Daniel 1-3 we meet four men who had everything. Looks, wealth, brains, royal pedigree. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were young men--boys, really--when they were kidnapped by the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted these young men to serve him, but first he needed to turn them into Babylonians. He tried to erase their Hebrew-ness---the thing that made them who they are at the very core of their being. He ordered them to study Babylonian literature and learn the language. They were to be trained for three years, eat from the king's own table, and after that they would enter the king's service. King Neb even had their names changed to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

What makes these young men heroic in my eyes is their steadfast resolve to remain faithful to God no matter what. To remain the men God wanted them to be, not the impostors the king wanted them to become. It would have been easy to just blend in and not rock the boat. It would have been smart to simply appease the king, assuring themselves a comfortable life in their new home.

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself..." (1:8) 

When they were offered choice foods from the king's table, it took courage not to eat it. Think of how rude and offensive that would be to the king! But it was Babylonian custom to give the first portion of food and drink as an offering to idols, as well as using animals that were considered unclean by Hebrews. Daniel asked the chief official over him and his three friends if they could just eat vegetables and drink water instead. And you know what happened? After ten days these four men were healthier than the others who'd eaten the tainted food. God honored their courage. (1:8-17)

When Daniel needed divine help in interpreting the king's weird dreams, he went to his friends and asked them to pray. (2:17) Their faith saved a lot of lives, because the king was planning to execute all his seers and wise men because they couldn't figure out the meaning of the dream. But God gave the answer to Daniel.

When King Nebuchadnezzar made a giant golden image, our four heroes refused to worship it as ordered. It wasn't because they wanted to be difficult or disobedient to the king, but because they knew there is only One who is worthy of being worshipped. The punishment for disobeying the order was death by fire. Read Daniel 3 for the whole amazing story, but in a nutshell God once again honored their courage to stand up for what is right and good in God's sight. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego were tossed into the fiery furnace yet came out without one hair singed. Even King Neb was impressed! (3:28)

After Darius the Mede took over the kingdom and institutes an ego-building decree---that no one could pray to anyone but him for thirty days (6:7)---Daniel finds himself thrown into the lions' den because he refused to stop praying to God. Three times a day he was spotted at the window of his house, kneeling in broad daylight, praying and giving thanks to the Lord. He didn't attempt to hide or pray in secret despite the inevitable punishment. God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the hungry lions (6:21) and protected his servant Daniel. Why? Because of courage.

The courage to do what is right.

It isn't always easy being a Christian these days. More and more we are ridiculed for our faith in Jesus Christ. More and more we are mocked, called names, belittled. But like Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah (I won't use their Babylonian names here), we have to remain steadfast in our resolve to be the people God has called us to be. To say, without apology, that we are followers of Jesus Christ. We aren't trying to be difficult or intolerant or any of the other things we are accused of being, but we hold firmly to the truth that is the Word of God. Jesus said in Mark 8:38: "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

I'm sure our heroes from the Book of Daniel didn't set out to be heroic in their faith and actions. They simply refused to disobey God. That's a powerful lesson for me. I don't know that I'll ever be a hero to anyone, but I know I'll do my best to be faithful to my God every day of my life. 

Because He is the ultimate Hero! 

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:

USA, Latvia, France, Romania, Israel, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Russia, Philippines, Singapore, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago

Jonah's Second Chance

Our pastor, Joe Champion of Celebration Church, has been preaching/teaching on Jonah the past few weeks. Awesome stuff!! He calls the series "Is Your Grateful Dead?" (Click the link, then "Media/Online Sermons" to watch them!) Jonah, like a lot of us, had issues with being grateful. And, like a lot of us, Jonah had to learn some life-lessons the hard way. Today I want to take a good look at Jonah's great adventure---from hearing from God to time spent inside a fish---and see if I (and you!) are more Jonah-ish than we care to admit.

The Book of Jonah isn't very long--just four short chapters--but we can learn a lot from Jonah. We can look at what he did--and what he didn't do!--and take away some pretty important life-lessons.

• #1: Jonah knew God in a personal way. God spoke to Jonah in the very first verse of the book. He asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and "preach against it, because its wickedness" had come up before God. Obviously Jonah knew God's word well enough that the Almighty himself had confidence in Jonah's abilities to turn an entire city to righteousness. But what was Jonah's response? He ran away! From God! Can you imagine? And because we read that Jonah ran away (v.3) we know he knew exactly Who spoke to him. He knew it was God. And yet he went in the opposite direction of where God wanted him to go. I think a lot of us can relate to Jonah's poor decision making. 
• #2: Jonah had to go through a storm. Have you ever had a "storm" come into your life? I have. It's not fun. It can be pretty scary too. Storms are unpredictable. They tear things apart. They destroy. God uses storms to get our attention sometimes. Pastor Joe said, "Storms serve God's purposes for our good." (Romans 8:28) As a storm survivor, I completely agree. If God hadn't sent the storm that caused the men on the boat to throw Jonah overboard, he would have gone on to Tarshish and totally missed the amazing thing God was planning for him in Nineveh. And not only did God use the storm to change Jonah's life, but the lives of the men on the boat too. (1:16)
• #3: Jonah prayed from inside the fish. Not only did God bring a storm into Jonah's life, but he also brought provision--in the form of a giant fish. (1:17) Like Pastor Joe said this past Sunday: "Our provision just might stink." Man, is that true sometimes!! But it is provision nonetheless. God needed Jonah to spend time in the belly of a stinky fish to think things over. To get the right perspective. To listen. You might feel like you're in the belly of a whale right now. Nothing is going right. Your marriage is in trouble. Your finances are in trouble. Your kids are in trouble. Whatever it might be, you find yourself just wishing God would command the fish to vomit you out and be done with it! (Nice image, huh?) My advice as one who once felt like I was inside the stinky fish (and sometimes still do): Keep praying!! Don't give up! God IS listening! He DOES have a plan!
• #4: Jonah got a second chance. Jonah 3:1 says: "Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time." How many chances does God give us? I think the number is infinite, to be perfectly honest. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:16 that Jesus' patience is "unlimited." God loves us. He's our Father. But like a good Father, he has to discipline his children sometimes. Without discipline, children run wild and usually end up in trouble. Jonah was no different. He was running away to Tarshish instead of going where God told him to go. So God had to discipline him. And what was the result? 
• "Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh." (3:1) As someone who has "run away" from God at different times in my life, I know how good it feels to finally be obedient. To surrender to the will of God. But wouldn't it have been so much better if Jonah had just obeyed God in the first place? I think that is the lesson we all need to learn from Jonah! And look what happened because Jonah was obedient! A city of 120,000 people was saved! (4:11)

Are you a Jonah today? Have you heard a word from the LORD but ignored it or even ran away from it? Are you going through a storm? Are you ready to be obedient? God is there, every step of the way, waiting, watching, guiding if we'll let him. Pray! Listen! Obey!

One interesting thing to note about Jonah's story. It ends very abruptly. Chapter 4 tells us that Jonah got a little full of himself. God wasn't going to put up with it and puts an end to the story. Don't let that happen to your story!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:
USA, Brazil, Russia, Australia, Israel, Bulgaria, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, France, Malaysia, Sweden, Italy, Georgia, Ukraine, Ghana

Thomas and His Moment of Truth

I can't remember a day in my life when I didn't believe in Jesus Christ. I was raised in a Christian home with Christian parents, attending church anytime the doors were open. But like a lot of people, I had questions about the Bible. About church. About God. Unlike a lot of people, however, I never strayed from my childlike faith as I went seeking answers. I've shared on this blog before how I surrendered my all to the Lord at the age of 28 and I've been walking with Him ever since. I would say that May 23, 1992 was my "Moment of Truth". 

Do you have a "moment of truth"? A time when you knew that you knew that you knew Jesus was exactly who He said He was?

Thomas did. 

Thomas, also called Didymus, was one of Jesus' disciples. (Matthew 10:3) We don't know a lot about Thomas. The Bible doesn't say what his occupation was when he encountered the Messiah. My guess is Thomas may have been present when John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29) or heard about it from an eyewitness. He was probably there when Jesus gave the 'sermon on the mount.' Mark 3:13 tells us that Jesus went up on a mountainside and "called to him those he wanted, and they came to him." Thomas was one of those chosen.

Can you imagine being hand-picked by Jesus?! Wow! What an honor!

But like the rest of us, Thomas had faults. He was clearly a very passionate person. When news reaches Jesus and the disciples that Lazarus is dead, Thomas says, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:16) That's some serious devotion to a friend. 

While Thomas is remembered more for his doubts than anything else, he is the one who asked the question that brought some of the most beautiful and memorable words from Jesus' lips. Jesus had just shared that he'll be going away soon but promises the disciples they'll be with him one day. Thomas, voicing what was on everyone's mind, says:

"Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:5-6) 

Thomas was there when Jesus was arrested. And he was there when Jesus was crucified. He saw his Lord--the one whom he had put all his faith in!--die on a cross. He watched them carry the body away and seal it in a tomb. Oh, the grief the disciples must have experienced that day. Everything they had believed in...was it all a lie? Look how Thomas reacted to the death of Lazarus. He was devastated by Jesus' death.

When the resurrected Jesus appears to the disciples in John 20:19, Thomas is not with them. Where was he? My thought is he simply needed to be alone. Locked in a room with a bunch of other grieving people probably got to him and he had to get away for a while. It sure was lousy timing, because that's when Jesus appeared!

I wonder. Did Jesus pick that particular moment to appear because Thomas wasn't there? To give Thomas--and us!--a lesson in faith?

When he returns to the room, the others are excited and rush to tell him they've seen the risen Lord! But Thomas isn't buying it.

"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."  (v. 25)

One week later his world changed!

Though the doors are locked, Jesus came and stood in the room with them. Imagine the hushed excitement. Imagine Thomas' reaction. Stunned, I'm sure. When Jesus approaches him, he invites Thomas to "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

"Thomas said to [Jesus], "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas' moment of truth arrived that day. His Lord and His God stood right in front of him. Our moment of truth will come a little differently. Jesus knew Thomas believed because he'd seen, but... 

..."Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Thank you, Lord! I definitely believe!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are: 

USA, Ukraine, Netherlands, Russia, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Philippines 

Note: Thanks to Pastor Joe Champion of Celebration Church for the awesome sermon series "Moment of Truth" March 2008. 

Mary and Martha: Friends of Jesus

I am blessed to have a sister. Kim is a few years older than me, and although she probably thought I was a pest while we were growing up, we had a lot of good times together. But even though we're sisters, we are very different from each other.

The Bible tells us about two sisters: Mary and Martha. Their brother was Lazarus, the very same Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11). But before that amazing event took place, Mary and Martha were simply friends of Jesus. He came to their home. He ate their food. He talked with them. He laughed with them. What a wonderful thing, being friends with Jesus!!

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way [to Jerusalem], he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary..." Luke 10:38-39

Like my sister and me, Mary and Martha were very different from each other. They had different ideas of what needed to be done, of what was important.

"She had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." (v. 39-40)

A few years ago as I was reading this passage, God opened my eyes to something. Something that would change my entire outlook on 'serving.' Martha was a doer. Food needed to be prepared. Dishes cleaned. Floors swept. She wanted to do these things for her Lord Jesus. And yes, they needed to be done. But notice what Luke, the author, says about Martha:

  "...she was distracted..."

That's not a good thing. Because when we are distracted, it means we're missing something important that's taking place elsewhere. What was Jesus saying in the other room while Martha was in the kitchen? She'll never know! 

But Mary "sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said."

Mary was doing exactly what was right. How do I know? Jesus said so.

"[Martha] came to [Jesus] and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (v. 40-41)

How many of us are so distracted by "doing" for the Lord that we neglect "listening" to what he is saying? (Picture me inching my hand up, embarrassed.) 

How many of us get so caught up in all the many ministries we're involved in that we forget the "one thing" that is needed, which is time spent with the Lord?

In the margin of my Bible I have written: "Jesus wants ME, not my works for Him!" It is dated August 16, 2000. 

Serving the Lord is important. Work has to be done. Meals have to be prepared. Churches have to be cleaned. Volunteers are needed in every church, every week. The famous "80/20" ratio is not proof that people are spending more time listening than working. It's actually proof of the exact opposite in my opinion. (In case you don't know what I'm talking about, studies show that 20% of church members do all the work while 80% don't do anything at all.)

I think Martha took Jesus' words to heart. The scriptures don't tell us what happened next, but I imagine Martha looked into Jesus' beautiful face, saw his love for her, and fell at his feet, ashamed. And I imagine Jesus reached down to lift her up, wiped her tears away and said, "Come, daughter. Come and sit with me." And I imagine they ate cold meat and bread for dinner, which was just fine with Jesus. 

Jesus was their Lord--"Yes, Lord," [Martha told him], "I believe that you are the Son of God, who was to come into the world" (John 11:27)--but He was also their friend--"Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." (John 11:5) He wept when he saw Mary's tears over her brother's death (John 11:35). Martha opened her home to Jesus. Mary sat at his feet and listened. They loved him. They served him. They trusted him.

It's a beautiful thing to call Jesus friend!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:

USA, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, Ukraine, France, Sweden, Guyana

The God Who Sees Me

Do you ever wonder if God can see you? I mean really see you?

I do. There are days when I feel like I'm invisible to God. Like I need to jump up and down and wave my arms and say, "Hey, God, here I am! Remember me? Hello???" Usually those are days when things aren't going well in my life. When life's problems are just too heavy to carry alone. Days when I definitely need to know there is a God who loves me, who's watching over me, working things out for my good even when it doesn't feel like it.

I need to know there is a God who sees me.

There's a woman in the Bible who knew what it felt like to be invisible. We don't know her name, but we find her story in Luke 8:42-48. The fact that her story is in the Bible tells me God definitely saw her. God knew her name. And she was so important to Him that He wanted her remembered through the ages.

"As Jesus was on his way [to attend to a sick little girl], the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her." (v.42-43)

Imagine the shame this woman suffered for twelve long years. In those days disease and illness was seen as punishment. 'Surely she must have been a terrible sinner and done something really bad' was the mindset. She was no doubt shunned because of this. She'd spent every penny she had trying to find a cure for her sickness but no one could help her.

I think a lot of us are in the same boat as that woman. We may not have a physical illness like she did--though many of us do--but a lot of us have other issues we're seeking cures for. Emotional issues. Relational issues. Financial issues. Sometimes we spend a lot of money searching out cures. Sometimes we spend a lot of time looking for a cure. Too often we spend a lot of ourselves searching for a way to fix things.

Those are the days when we ask, "God, can you see me?!"

Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, asked that question. In Genesis 16:7-13 we find her scared, hiding, alone. She's run away from life and is feeling invisible. But God saw her. Just like He sees you and me when we are scared, hiding, alone.

"You are the God who sees me," Hagar says in verse 13.

Jesus wanted us to know He sees us too. In Matthew 6 he's teaching the crowds. This passage is part of what's called The Sermon on the Mount. Notice what he says in verse  30:

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?" (The Message Bible)

Think about all the millions and millions of acres of National Forest in the US. Or the jungles of South America. Or the African and Australian plains. Miles and miles of land where no one lives and not many people venture. Yet beautiful wildflowers grow there. No human eye will ever see them and take pleasure in them, yet God sees them. They were created for His enjoyment, not ours.

You were created for His enjoyment too! Even if you feel invisible to the world, you are not invisible to God! God sees you. He loves you. He has great plans for you.

The woman with the bleeding issue was tired of being invisible. She was tired of being sick. And she came to the understanding that there was only One who could heal her.

"She came up behind [Jesus] and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped." (Luke 8:44)

Imagine how her life changed in that moment! Imagine her joy of not being invisible anymore!

There is only One who can heal you. From your physical issues. From your emotional issues. Your relational issues. Whatever is in your life that is too hard to handle on your own. Whatever is in your life that is making you feel invisible to God.

Make no mistake. God does see you!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:
USA, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, Malaysia, Turkey

Mary

I'm starting a new series today. It's on different people--different characters, if you will--in the Bible. If you're like me, you often have unanswered questions about the people we read about. Questions that actually can never be answered fully, but with a little imagination and common sense we can come up with some interesting ideas about them and their lives, before and after they encountered Jesus Christ.

I'll begin with Mary. The Mother of God.

Tradition tells us that Mary was probably a teenage girl of about 15 or 16 when she became pregnant with Jesus. We don't know much about her family, but she probably lived a very typical Jewish life. One thing we do know about Mary, however, is that she was not a typical Jewish girl.

"The angel went to [Mary] and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Luke 1:28

That verse tells us Mary was different from all the other young maidens in the land. She'd found favor with God. How? My guess is it all began in her heart. Her heart was obviously turned toward God from a very early age. Even her response to the angel, spoken with a little fear at what was happening and what was being said, tells us about Mary's character:

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." v. 38


But Mary was also a mother. And we mom's tend to worry. And we tend to meddle. Mary was no different, which I absolutely love. I can so relate to these two stories:

Luke 2:41-52 tells about twelve-year-old Jesus becoming separated from his parents during a trip to Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph searched for him for three days before they discovered him in the temple. Mary's response is typical of a worried mother:

"Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." v. 48


Oh, the panic in a parents' heart when their child is missing! Even for a few minutes, let alone three days! I imagine Mary kept a keen eye on Jesus for quite some time. I think it's interesting that they found Jesus on the third day. Was this God's way of preparing Mary for another terrible three-day period she would experience with her son, Jesus?

The other story that makes me smile is found in John 2:1-11. Jesus, Mary and the disciples are at a wedding. Obviously it's someone they all know and care about. They're there helping to celebrate. But before the celebration is over, the wine runs out. Mary knows this could be very humiliating for the bride and groom. She also knows by now that her son has the power to do something about it.

"When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." v. 3-5


Mary, Mary. You are a woman after my own heart! Being a mother of grown young men myself, I can absolutely picture this scene. Even though Jesus was thirty years old by now, Mary was still his mom. Even though she obviously understood who he was--that he had the power to do something amazing!--she was still his mom. "Fix this problem" she basically says. And like the obedient son Jesus is, he obeys his mom. I love it!

Mary's greatest heartache, however, had to come when she watched her son crucified. Tears come to my eyes when I read John 19:25-27:

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother...When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, the disciple took her into his home." 


Can you picture it? There is Jesus, brutalized, bleeding, nailed to a cross, and yet his thought is for his mother's well-being. How her heart must have broken seeing her little boy on that cross. And yes, I believe Mary saw her little boy, her son, and not the Son of God hanging there. She carried that child in her womb. She nursed him. She watched him grow. She bathed him, taught him, laughed with him, disciplined him. Jesus was her son in every way that my boys' are my sons. I can't even begin to imagine the pain of watching my beloved son die on a cross!

But after Jesus' death and resurrection, Mary knew her son was now her Savior. In Acts 1:14 we read that Mary is gathered with the disciples and close followers of Jesus in an upper room in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit descends upon them. I believe she was with them when Jesus appeared after his death (John 20) and when he ascended into heaven (Acts 1). How glad it makes my heart to know that Mary's sorrow at watching Jesus die only lasted a little while.


Luke 2:19 sums up Mary's life as Jesus' mother in my mind:

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."


What an amazing thing to be Jesus' mother. I can't wait to meet Mary in heaven!

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This week's Prayer Shout-Out countries are:
USA, United Kingdom, Sweden, Malaysia, Latvia, Singapore, Ukraine

I wonder what happened to Malchus...

I'm reading in the book of John these days. Got to chapter 18 today. It's the story of Jesus being arrested. One particular person, however, caught my attention.

Malchus.

Not exactly a familiar biblical name, huh? Who was he?

Malchus was the high priest's servant. (v. 10) He was with the crowd that came to the olive grove to arrest Jesus. We aren't told much more about him. But one specific action put him in the Bible forever.

Dear, dear Peter (he's my favorite disciple) did something very rash. When he saw the crowd coming to take Jesus away, he drew his sword and cut off Malchus' ear. OUCH!!! I can only imagine the pain and horror of having your ear cut off! It probably fell to the ground in a gush of blood. Now, if that had happened today, we would have called 911, put the ear on ice, and rushed the man into surgery. But none of that was necessary.

Why?

Because Jesus---Immanuel, God with us---was standing right there. Luke 22:50-51 tells how Jesus touched the man's ear and healed him.

As I read this story today, I couldn't help but wonder about Malchus. Did his miraculous healing change his attitude about Jesus? I think it must have. How could he go through the trauma of having his ear cut off, then healed in a matter of minutes and not be changed somehow? I think he probably followed along with the crowd after Jesus was arrested, but I don't think he was a part of the crowd any longer. I think he probably watched Jesus hanging on the cross with sadness. At least I hope so anyway.

Malchus. I wonder if I'll meet him in heaven someday.