On a rural countryside, miles away from any grocery store. A crowd of over 5,000 people had been hanging on every word Jesus spoke as he was teaching. Time had passed and now the crowd was hungry. Jesus told his disciples to feed the crowd. “With what?” they replied. Apparently no one in the crowd had packed a lunch. No one, that is, except a young lad who had some small bread loaves and a couple small fish. Jesus took this meager lunch and multiplied it to feed the thousands. There were even twelve baskets full of leftovers! (Matthew 13:14-21)
Besides Jesus, the central character of this story is that little boy. He was willing to give the small amount he had to the Lord and believe that, in Jesus’ hands, it would be enough. What do you possess that could be maximized in the Lord’s hands? The little boy didn’t hold anything back for himself. He gave everything he had. Very likely, no great miracle would have occurred if he had only given a part of what he had. When we are willing to act in faith, turning our talents, possessions, our hopes and dreams over to Jesus, there is a potential to impact thousands. If you need a miracle, let God know from your heart everything you have belongs to him. May I ask a personal question? What’s the condition of your Bible? Do you have one of those big Family Bibles at your house? Lots of folks have one. They look great on the coffee table or on a special stand. The problem with them is that they rarely get used. Nobody actually reads them. That kind of Bible is more for decoration, like the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine setting just so on your end table.
There’s nothing wrong with these Bibles—it’s one way to silently witness to your faith, and they can serve as a reminder to look to God for help to life’s questions. But the Bibles I like to see are the well-worn ones with lots of highlighting and personal notes written in the margins. Someone said, “If your Bible’s falling apart, you probably aren’t!” I believe that to be true! The Bible is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It is not an outdated book of myths and fables, but the living, active, ever-relevant Word of God. Here’s a challenge for the week: Spend some time everyday reading the Bible. See if it does speak to you and if it helps you. If you don’t have a clue on where to begin, let me suggest the Gospel of John. If you don’t have a Bible, there are plenty of places to get them—even online for free! I’ll be glad to give you one too. Become a student of the Word. It is the manual for life and the living record of God’s plan for successful living. Have an awesome day! Are You Making Positive Ripples? By Larry Refsland
Can you throw a stone into a lake without making some ripples? Skipping stones seems to continue to be a favorite summer pastime. It’s cheap and takes little skill. Did you ever notice how it’s impossible to skip a stone without creating some ripples? The ripples are the side effect of the rock hitting the surface. The ripples are not the exact location of the impact, but the result of the impact on the surrounding area. Our lives have similar ripple effects. Everything we do, good or bad, has an impact on the people around us. Everyday we are making ripples. Our children, our spouse, our co-workers are all affected by our actions. These ripples can be negative. For example: a job supervisor yells at one of the employees who in turn goes home in a bad mood and takes it out on his wife, who then is short with the children who go out and kick the dog which chases the cat and… you get the idea. Think how that scenario could be so different if the initial impact were positive: the job supervisor praises the employee who goes home and greets his wife with a big kiss, who decides to make the kids a favorite treat who share it with the neighborhood children; the dog and cat, well they lick up the scraps, and everyone is happy! Go out and make some ripples today! See how far a positive action actually goes in your sphere of influence. When was your party? You know, the party they threw for you in heaven? You may or may not know about all the celebrations they have in heaven, but according to the Bible, there are parties all the time.
In Luke 15, Jesus is recorded as telling three stories that give a picture of what heaven is like. They all have at least two things in common. First, something is lost. Second, they all include a party! The first story is of a lost sheep. It’s only one sheep out of a flock of 100, but the shepherd leaves the 99 to look for the lost one. When he finds it, he calls his friends and throws a party! The second story is of a woman who lost one of her ten silver coins. She searches everywhere in the house, even sweeping carefully until she finds it and then, you guessed it—party time! The final story is of a lost son. A father had two sons and one of them decided to split with his share of the estate even though his dad hadn’t died yet. He managed to squander the whole load in no time on wine, women, and song. Finally, he comes to his senses and decides to go back to his father’s house and begs to be taken back as a hired hand. The father instead, restored him as a son and threw a party! Jesus pointed out that these stories described you and me as being lost—separated from God. But God, in his love and mercy, searched for us and made it possible for us to be in fellowship with him. When we admit to our lost position and receive his love and forgiveness, the Bible says the angels of God throw a party! Has there been a party in heaven for you? |
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