SCRIPTURE
Mark 8:1-10 (NRSV)
Jesus feeds 4,000
In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way - and some of them have come from a great distance." His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
DEVOTION
My favorite verses from today’s scripture reading are, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way - and some of them have come from a great distance.”
I absolutely treasure these sweet words from Jesus because it is a vivid reminder of Jesus’ great compassion for humanity. When Jesus says that He has compassion it means that he is “with us in our suffering.”
In this case, 4,000 people had been listening to Jesus preach and teach for three days! They were so enraptured by his words that they had not even taken a break to eat food. Jesus knew that if he sent them home from the “revival” without feeding them, they would “faint” along the way from lack of nourishment! So Jesus met their need for physical food by taking seven loaves of bread and some fish and making a meal for thousands!
Isn’t this an amazing story? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of us could be so caught up in prayer, Bible study, and relationship with Jesus that we could forget about our physical concerns for a while?!
It seems to me that as human beings we are constantly thinking about what we are going to eat, drink, or wear. We worry about where we are going to sleep, go to school, or work. We fret over our ability to acquire health care and life insurance and as if all of these worries were not enough, many of us also agonize about how to attain the latest fashions, drive the hottest car, and/or posses the biggest cabin on the lake.
Help us, Lord!
This constant obsession with our physical wants and needs truly keeps many of us from steadfastly focusing on Jesus!
Oh, how I want to learn to be more like Jesus’ followers in the desert! For three days and nights, they sat at Jesus’ feet hearing his words, listening to his prayers, and simply basking in his presence.
Although most of us don’t have the luxury of maintaining this type of “retreat” 24-7-365, we do have the option to set aside special time to be with Jesus on a regular basis.
I actually know a person who goes on “retreat” with God at least once a year. She does this by taking vacation time, making a reservation at the local nunnery, and turning off her cell phone, computer, and TV in order to make time for prayer, worship, bible study, journaling, quiet time, and meditation. She walks through the gardens, looks at the beauty of nature, and lies quietly in her bed at night with only her heartbeat and the whisper of Spirit in her ears. When she returns, she feels refreshed, revived, and ready to lead and serve God’s people once again!
The secret to success on these types of retreats is the singular focus on Jesus! Just as Jesus fed the 4,000 when they were hungry, Jesus will feed us when we are physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally hungry as well!
Aren’t you glad that God is able to meet all of our needs according to God’s riches in glory! And aren’t you doubly glad that when God meets our needs, God often allows a supernatural overflow with leftovers to boot?!
Today, I believe that we are invited to find a quiet place to visit and rest with God! Whether your retreat is five, ten, twenty, or sixty minutes, you will benefit from quiet time with your Savior. Bishop Vashti McKenzie, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, is calling the Christian community of faith to a “praycation” during the month of August. This is an opportunity to rest in God through quiet time spent in prayer, meditation, Bible Study and journaling. You can learn more about “praycations” at http://praycation.blogspot.com
Isn’t it time you spent some quiet alone time with God? If so, please pray with me:
Dear God, thank you for loving me so much that you sent Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I want to spend more time getting to know you and improving our relationship. Please help me to build “retreat” time into my schedule so that I can give you the steadfast focus that you deserve. I love you God and I want to share Your love with others. I know that JESUS is the bread of life and I want to share that bread with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html
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