27 Aug (Matt 14 & John 6)

The Gospels: Feeding 5,000 & Walking on the Sea

Matthew 14

(v.13) I suspect, that when Jesus went to be alone, He was going to pray about John the Baptist, and ask the Father for guidance.

(v.19) Jesus shows us that God will provide for us, even when it seems impossible. Chuck Smith points out in his commentary, that God has us provide for the Brethren when we are blessed by Him...this is what fellowship and servant hood are all about!

(v.23) Jesus sent the disciples onto the boat, and went to the mountain to pray. There is an important lesson here...Jesus allows us to have storms and troubles in our lives, but He is there, praying and protecting us! Rom 8:34

(v.26) The disciples go from fear to adulation in a moment...much like us. It's our nature to have fear, but once we have Christ, we have peace.

(v.29) Peter was a man who acted impulsively, and didn't always think before he spoke or acted. Here, he does it again, but he is doing it in faith. Jesus allows it, and Peter actually walks on the water!

(v.30) Once Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink into the water...this is true with us, when we stop focusing on Christ, we fall away from Him.

Peter says the shortest and most effective prayer: LORD, save me!

We need to remember that storms are important in our lives...we need to be willing to be in a storm in God's will, then out of the storm, but out of God's will for us!

14 Aug (John 2)

The Gospels: Jesus' First Miracle

John 2

(v.4) Jesus had a specific mission...to save the world from sin. His name spells out His mission, for Jeshua, means YHWH Saves.

I teach my kids to keep in mind that Jesus dictates everything that happens to Him during His life in the Gospels...except this one. Here, we see Mary showing some stubbornness and determination, and Jesus obeys her. Here is the Creator of the universe, the Creator of Mary, who obeys His earthly mother. Again, Jesus reduced Himself to live as we should live...we need to model this in our lives.

(v.15) Some people say that Jesus is love...He is. They say that Jesus said to love when faced with hatred...we should. However, there is a thing called Righteous Anger. When evil and corruption is apparent, it is right for us to stand up for Truth and Righteousness.

There are many who say that we should never mix politics and religion. Matt 22:21 We are to obey our leaders, but if they demand we go against God's Word to obey them, only then, are we to disobey them and follow God's Word instead.

(v.25) As with me, or anyone you read or listen to for Biblical instruction, our hearts is what matters most to God. If we say one thing, but do another, then our hearts aren't truly God's heart. It all starts with us, then we can change our communities and regions later.