Practical or Supernatural
Our men had a great discussion as we applied the truths of the feeding of the 5,000 in Luke 9 to our lives today. We were all convicted of how we fail the Lord many times, because we think in a practical way, when the Lord wants us to trust Him. So many times we miss a miracle by being practical.
When the multitude gathered, Jesus accepted them. He taught them and healed them. However, when the day was wearing down, the disciples wanted to do the opposite. They wanted to send them away for food and lodging. This could have been practical thinking, because the crowd was so large, and it was a deserted place. However, Jesus used the situation to test them. After all they had been through recently, they should have been well aware of Jesus' power. When Jesus told them, "You give them something to eat." They failed the test by thinking in a practical way. Their response showed that they thought it was impossible for them to feed 5,000+ people. Jesus calmly told them to have the people sit in groups of 50, and He blessed the food from the young boy's lunch. The disciples passed it out until everyone was full, and they had 12 baskets full left over. One basket for each disciple to remember the great miracle.
Now, when Jesus said for them to feed them, instead of being practical, they should have said something like, "You tell us what to do, and we will do it." That would have shown their dependence and their trust in Him. Isn't that a great lesson for us? When Jesus tells us to do something we think is impossible, we must not argue with Him. All we need to do is look up and say, "You tell me what to do, and I will do it." Then, we can sit back and watch a miracle, if the Lord chooses to work one. That is so much better than being practical.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 24,25 and I Chronicles 1.
When the multitude gathered, Jesus accepted them. He taught them and healed them. However, when the day was wearing down, the disciples wanted to do the opposite. They wanted to send them away for food and lodging. This could have been practical thinking, because the crowd was so large, and it was a deserted place. However, Jesus used the situation to test them. After all they had been through recently, they should have been well aware of Jesus' power. When Jesus told them, "You give them something to eat." They failed the test by thinking in a practical way. Their response showed that they thought it was impossible for them to feed 5,000+ people. Jesus calmly told them to have the people sit in groups of 50, and He blessed the food from the young boy's lunch. The disciples passed it out until everyone was full, and they had 12 baskets full left over. One basket for each disciple to remember the great miracle.
Now, when Jesus said for them to feed them, instead of being practical, they should have said something like, "You tell us what to do, and we will do it." That would have shown their dependence and their trust in Him. Isn't that a great lesson for us? When Jesus tells us to do something we think is impossible, we must not argue with Him. All we need to do is look up and say, "You tell me what to do, and I will do it." Then, we can sit back and watch a miracle, if the Lord chooses to work one. That is so much better than being practical.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 24,25 and I Chronicles 1.