Only 5 loaves & 2 fish?

When Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod he withdrew by boat to a solitary place in order to be alone. "hearing of this the crowds followed him on foot, from the towns." when Jesus landed and saw a large crowd he had compassion on them and healed their sick."Mt.14:13-14 When evening came the disciples told Jesus that they should send the people away so that they may be able to buy food. Jesus tells them "they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."Mt. 14:16 The disciples told Jesus that"we have here only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish."Mt. 14:17

This type of response would be typical of most people today. Many of us see only what we don't have- or how little we do have. We fail to see the blessings that God has given us and therefore we are always desiring what we don't have. This" negative vein" of thought is much like cancer-and will overflow into all areas of life. Being negative and having a bad attitude will eventually consume you . Negativity is consuming and like a fire out of control it burns up everything in its path. When you allow yourself to become negative about one thing, it goes on into another area of your life. For example, you start out being negative and worrying about money, then it goes to clothes and material possessions and then your body and your self. Being negative is a bad habit. It is like a weed that sprouts up inside of us and we must pull it and out before it takes root deep inside of us. This is why Paul wrote in II Corth. 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. The way we feel about ourselves effects everyone and everything in our lives. Harboring feelings of low self esteem and having a lack of self love impacts our ability to love others and to receive love. If you fail to see good and self worth within yourself -how can you see good in others? It is imperative that we search our hearts and minds regarding how we feel about ourselves. Our feelings of self worth has an impact on our ability to have a intimate relationship with God. When a person doesn't love themselves - then how can that person love others? And, if you don't love others then the love of God is not within you. "We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God", yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, can not love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command; who ever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4: 19

When a person truly loves themselves they are free to love others and when a person has Jesus inside of their hearts and minds - the love of God flows from them. When someone accepts Jesus and allows Him to take up residence within him- that love flows through them like a fountain. His unconditional love will grow inside of you and become a part of you. Jesus told the woman at the well, " If you knew the gift of god and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."Jh.4:10 Jesus loves us warts and all. He sees the bad and the good. When we receive that love and accept it as a free gift - then we will be more accepting and loving of others. He can help us overcome the flaws in our nature and the character defects we need to work on. He will carry us through the hard times and give us wisdom that can only come from Him. There are many people in the bible who had issues with confidence, self esteem and shortcomings. But, they overcame their personal handicaps in order to do great things for God. Some were unsure and lacked confidence and some were afraid or scared. For example, Moses - when God told him what he must do- he said, he was slow of speech and ask God to send someone else to do it! (Exodus 4:10-13), Then there was Gideon who was scared because of his size, he needed assurance. (Judges 6:15) Finally, look at Barack- when called to go into battle he said he would only go if Deborah (who was a prophet/ Judge) went with him. (Judges 4:8) These people had one thing in common - they looked at themselves and only saw their flaws and defects. When God speaks to you and pulls on your heart strings to do something for Him- already knows you inside and out. He will give you all you need to do the job. He will equip you and give you the gifts to accomplish the appointed task set before you. Always remember what Jesus said, "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Mt. 19:26 What may look like only 5 loaves and 2 fish - is in reality enough to feed 5,000!

A time of Renewal

Spring has finally arrived after a long cold winter and it is wonderful to see sun shining and hear birds singing. Many of the trees in my yard have beautiful green leaves and there are little purple and yellow flowers peeking out of the ground . From my front porch I can see neighbors riding their mowers and trimming the grass with their weed eaters while others are working in their flowerbeds. The smell of freshly cut grass fills the air and the atmosphere is happy and full of joy!
Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, this is seen in nature that has been laying dormant for several month and is now coming to life before our very eyes. when I think of the changing of the seasons I'm truly amazed and it re-enforces my belief in God. Only He could create something so wonderful, mysterious and magnificent. Spring is the season of new beginnings and fresh starts, it is a time for cleansing and refreshing. Every where you look people are starting "spring projects and/or spring cleaning." Most folks spend this time of year to clean the garage or basements. They sort through things and purge everything they can possibly get rid of. Many people take this time to paint and clean in the nooks and cranny's - the places not so easily seen . Those little hidden areas that are hard to reach. It is a time to clean carpets and re-finish old wood work or just spruce up the house. A friend of mine says that it is the perfect time to give every thing a "good once over."
During this time of spring cleaning -it is the perfect time for us to take a personal inventory. By taking a personal inventory we can identify any and all things in our life that is polluting and/or destroying our spiritual life with Jesus Christ. First , Ask your self this question, "What comes out of my mouth?" For example, Are my words uplifting and positive do I encourage and bring peace? Do I speak words of love and joy? Or are the words that come out of your mouth full of anger or hatred? Do they inflict pain and cause dissension? Are the words you speak deceitful and lies . These are questions we need to ask ourselves. We are suppose to keep a tight rein on our tongue and the words we speak into the atmosphere. Words have power to kill and murder, they also have the power to uplift and encourage.
When Jesus was questioned abut being clean and unclean, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law came to Jesus ask Him why His disciples did not wash their hands before they ate. The Pharisees and teachers of the law believed that failure to wash your hands before you ate made you' unclean'. "Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand., What goes into a man's mouth does not make him' unclean', but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean'."Matthew 15:10 he explained further by saying, ""Don't you see that what ever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what makes a man unclean, but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean'. Mt.15:17-20
We must keep a constant watch over what we say. We shouldn't go around saying what ever comes into our minds. we are to take every thought captive and be aware of what we speak. What we speak is a direct picture into our heart and mind.
We all need to go into our prayer closets and take a personal inventory of what is coming out of our mouths. We all say and do things that is wrong. Even David, who was a man after God's own heart sinned, he said and did things that were wrong and against what God's law commanded. Psalm 51 is a humble prayer that he prayed and ask God for forgiveness and cleansing.
Psalm 51: 1-12 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop , and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."
This prayer is a perfect example of repentance and one seeking forgiveness. I want to encourage you to keep on trying. When we fall- we have to get back up. Always keep running toward God. He loves us and He will be standing waiting with open arms to catch you.