Happy Thanksgiving
Our attention is undivided;
And thankful for the path provided.
It’s a wonderful time of praise;
For the ways You have guided.
We seek You every day;
And in You we believe.
Thankful for Your provision;
Grateful for all we receive.
Thanks for all that is right and good;
For all Your intervening;
For the joy You provide;
And for all that gives true meaning.
By Mark Shields – © 11-26-2014
Life is never perfect and only one person has ever been perfect. The ONE is Jesus who lived on earth and went through the same stuff we do today. He spoke faith, hope, and love as He lived on earth and we have His example to follow.
What is in our heart comes out in how we live. The scripture tells us to love God first and second to love our neighbor as ourselves. A way to step ahead is to study the life of Christ and work to apply faith, hope, and love in our everyday experiences.
Without Jesus, there is doubt, negative thoughts, and discontent but living the way Jesus tells us to puts good in the heart: Here is an inspirational video to get us stepping in that direction today: Speak Life – TobyMac.
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Reading in Luke 9:18-36, Jesus ask this question to His disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am (v.18)?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life (v. 19).” Then He asked the Disciple who they thought He was and this is when Peter answers, “You are the Christ of God (v. 20)”.
At this time, Jesus announces to His disciples that the Christ of God will suffer a painful death on the cross but will be raised to life on the third day. He also lays out the requirements of one who wishes to follow the Christ of God. A person must deny themselves and take up the cross daily to follow Him (v. 23).
Think of ideas and ways we can deny ourselves and follow Jesus today. What is in our heart comes out in how we live. The scripture tells us to love God first and second to love our neighbor as ourselves. A way to step ahead is to study the life of Christ and work to apply faith, hope, and love in our everyday experiences. Without following Jesus, there is doubt, negative thoughts, and discontent.
Another part of this passage is the transfiguration of Jesus. He takes Peter, John, and James with Him to pray up on a mountain. While praying, the appearance of Jesus changes and His clothes become as bright as a flash of lightening (v. 29). Moses who represents the Law, Elijah who represents all prophets, and Jesus who would eventually fulfill the law met to discuss His coming death on the cross (v. 31).
Father God as we pray this day, let it be Your will and not our own will that is done. Let us be patient, listen to Your directions, and follow with determination. We praise You and pray for devotion to Your purpose. A purpose that is greater than ourselves that we can contribute to by eagerly sharing the Good News with others.
Give what we have to Christ and He will multiply what we have so that all our problems and all our needs are satisfied. He’s with us fixing problems at work, at home and wherever we are with the strength to lead, the might to uphold, and the wisdom to guide. Take inspiration from today’s video: How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin.
The twofold ministry of the disciples described in Luke 9:1-17 were to drive out all demons and to cure diseases (v. 2). Many leadership principles can be learned in this passage. They include planning, organizing, directing, problem solving, and teamwork.
Jesus had put a lot of planning into His ministry because there was a need to carry out the works of the ministry after His death. He organized the ministry with twelve disciples to carry out the mission. Then, Jesus delegated power and authority to the Twelve to preach the gospel and to heal the sick.
The disciples reported back to Jesus their leader. This time there was a problem of being able to feed five thousand people who had followed them to listen about the kingdom of God. The disciples then followed the instructions of Jesus as He gave directions to solve the problem.
For many of us, the demands of our day seem much greater than our supply. We all have a limited amount of time and resources but we can find help from each other. The family unit is set up as a way to give each other help. Just like Jesus depended on the Twelve for assistance, individuals within a family contribute to support each other.
This day with God, we are thankful for this lesson in leadership found in this passage. We pray for ideas in our society to help families meet their needs and ways to share these ideas. Just like in today’s passage as Jesus distributed the workload to the Twelve, help us all participate in being a part of fulfilling the needs of God’s family by feeding souls.
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