January 3rd

MARK 6:6b - 56:
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is perservering in spite of fear...pressing on in spite of! The difference between a coward and a hero? Both scared to death, but the hero goes on in spite of!

We must have the courage to stand for Christian truths and values. Many blame their introverted personality for not stepping up to bat...I am a background kind of person, I had rather let someone else go to the forefront." All believers can express their faith courageously and even heroically...act on the basis of Jesus' power and presence in the individual life!! Our dependence is NOT on our flesh strength, but on His power, presence and Life in us!!!

In Nazareth, Jesus' hometown...unaccepted! "Who does He think He is? He limited His work in accordance with their human respons. Do you limit the Lord's work in your life by responding in unbelief, willful rejection or disobedience?

Jesus sent out the twelve...gave them authority (His - as His representatives) - they were given specific instructions. His purpose was to tach and train them so that they might assist Him and eventually be able to take His place when He returned to the Father. They were to take what theyt already owned and not go out and buy special equipment...no be loaded with extra baggage, not to beg! He wanted them to be adequately supplied, but not the point of ceasing to live by faith...just as He wants for you. Not allow us so much that we discontinue our dependence upon Him and fail to recognize His provision and think that we achieved for ourselves! A band of ORDINARY men...His commandments alwasy include His enablement.

Many had impressions of who Jesus was - Herod was fearful that it might be John the Baptist resurrected. Herod killed the man he had protected because of foolish repeated oaths he used to improess his friend. Peer Pressure? Rash words?

Disciples returned - probably very exhausted and in need of rest. Vance Havner said, "If you don't come apart and rest, you will come apart." We need rest, fellowship with friends, and renewal in our relationship with the Lord. They left for a remote place but the crowds followed and found Him and them. They sought physical help...shallowness in light of the greater spiritual needs...nevertheless Jesus cared for them. They interrupted what appeared to be His plan, but He viewed them with compassion and began to teach them. Do we wait until we have a physical need or those we love have one to approach Jesus?

The disciples had GONE OUT TO THE NEEDY (and it was a successful journey) but when the needy came to them and the physical need for food became evident, they wanted to send them away. They had not learned to view life through the eyes of their Master. Do we view others - see their deeper needs through His eyes? The disciples did show a caring attitude as they approached Jesus...they got lost in the physical need...it seemed impossible. They wanted to send them away or raise food money. They would have made ideal committee members: Someone has defined a committee as a group of people who individually can do nothing and collectively decide that nothing can be done.

(Denarius represented the average daily wage for an agricultural worker.) Many of us complain, "If we only had enough money, we could do something!" Do not measure OUR resources, but determine God's will and trust Him to meet the need. The Lord refused to accept their negativity. He asked them to count the # of loaves available. He sent them to LOOK for what He needed...Before you complain about lack of resources, open your eyes! See what the Lord has already made available...if your glass 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?

The Lord viewed the situation not as a problem but as an opportunity to trust the Father and glorify His name. An effective leader is someone who sees potential in problems and is willing to act by faith. Acting on the basis of human wisdom, His disciples saw the problem but not the potential.

The crowd was instructed to sit down...organized - I Cor. 14:33,40 "decently and in order". The Lord took the little that was FOUND, looked to Heaven - the Source of all things, BLESSED, BROKE AND MULTIPLIED. Kept on giving. The miracle took place in His hands, not the disciples. Whatever we give to Him, He can bless and multiply! We are only distributors, NOT manufactureres! EVERYONE ate, no one was left out. When God meets a need, He meets it completely.

The feeding of the 5,000 (only the men were counted), demonstrates Jesus compassion and His power. The disciples did not understand but they obeyed what He instructed. We courageously express our faith when we obey God and take actions that demonstrate we are trusting Him. Fear to step out? Do what the Holy Spirit instructs!!!

Jesus did not perform miracles just to meet human needs, though that was important. He wanted each miracle to be a revelation of Himself. A sermon in action. People for the most part were amazed at the appreciate the help but missed the spiritual message. They wanted the gift, but not the Giver...physical blessings, but not the enrichment of spiritual blessings. And what about us?

The Lord made the disciples depart in a boat immediately. He dispersed the crowd...and went up into the mountain to pray. The disciples were at the same time out in the middle of the water...they were OFF COURSE. Do we get off course and wake up in the middle of a storm? He knew exactly what was happening and walked out on the water - it appeared that He might pass them by! He demonstrated that He is the Lord over nature v. 39. Often, He waits until our situation is so desperate that we can do nothing to help ourselves just as He did with them. He may have seemed to pass them so that they would recobnize Him, trust Him to rescue them, call out to Him, but instead they were terrified, did not recognize Him and screamed out in terror thinking that He was a ghost. He immediately said, "Have courage, It is I. Don't be afraid." It seems that we only recognize the Lord after the fact of the result. Then our forgetfulness kicks in and at the next crisis, we suffer through the repetition of unbelief and not recognizing His had in the circumstances.

The disciples had just completed a successful mission, they participated in the feeding of the 5,000 and were perhaps on a spiritual high. This can be dangerous. It is good to be on the mountaintop if you don't get careless and step off a cliff! Spiritual blessings must be balanced with burdens and battles; otherwise, we may become pampered children, instead of mature sons and daughters. Each new experience of testing demands more faith and courage. We are in the midst of this stormy world, toiling and semmingly ready to sink, but He is in glory interceding for us just as He was on the mountain praying while the disciples were in the midst of a storm. When the hour seems the darkest, He will come to us and we will reach the shore.

An uncertain future can be a stressful time of fear...when you don't know what is ahead. Trust that the Lord knows what the future holds even when you do not.
Like the disciples in their storn, have you failed to recognize the Lord when He came to rescue you in your circumstances? RECOGNIZE Him is every experience - good, difficult, trying, sad! Peace comes when He enters our boat...not necessary that the wind ceases and the waves quieten, but that we are aware of His presence and dependent upon Him.

The disciples lacked spiritual perception. Hardened hearts...Jesus remains gracious even though we are unresponsive as the disciples. Presently we may be striving to obey Him (as the early Christians did) and we encounter stiff headwinds of opposition from the wrold, from our flesh, and from the enemy. We must accept and become keenly aware of His presence...taking our eyes off the circumstances and focusing straightway upon Him...absolute surrender - yieldedness - dependence upon Him and His life within us.

The disciples expressed fear rather than courage and faith when they were in a storm and Jesus came to them...we courageously express our faith in Jesus during any distressful situation by trusting Him because of Who He is and what He can do and has done!

What distressful situations are challenging you to perservere in your faith? How does your trust in Jesus' presence, power, and compassion help you?

No matter where Jesus went desperate people found Him. (v. 56) As the hemoraging woman had touched the tassel of His robe "everyone who touch it was made well." Jesus exercised power with compassion.

The disciples lacked spiritual insight and receptive hearts...what about you? The miracle of the loaves and fishes had made no lasting impression on them. What about your remembrances...do they come to mind when the storms come? Even a disciple of Jesus Christ can develop a hard heart if he fails to respon to the spiritual lessons that must be learned in the course of life and ministry.

Jesus brings provision and protection: Psa. 23: 1, 4 If we trust Him, we will always have sufficiency and security, no matter what the situation might be. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." I John 5:4 Trust the Servant! He never fails!!!