SONday Devotions

 

Ship's Log  03.22.2015



Ahoy Mateys! I pray that these devotions bless ye in a big way!

SONday Devotions

Pearls From The Sea

Your Captain Supplies All Your Needs for the Journey

By MaryLu Tyndall

   I love the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in Matthew 14. Actually, it was more like 10,000 people if you count the women and children, probably more. So if you had been there and had only had five loaves of bread and two fish, what would you have done? Or let's say you lost your job and your mortgage or rent is due in one week, and you've got only $30 in your checking account. What do you do? Or you have a job but your electric and heating bills have gone through the roof and your children have been sick and you've had to fork out money for medicine and doctors and your electric company is going to shut off your power in one week if you don't pay. What do you do?

   When presented with the problem of feeding 10,000 people, Jesus' disciples did the following:

  They tried to get rid of the problem by ignoring it. (They told Jesus to send the people away).

   They only looked at natural means to solve the problem. (They told Jesus it would take 200 denarii to feed all the people).

   They laughed at the impossibility of the task (disbelief).

   How often do we do the same? We sit and wallow in our problems, complaining and fearful, trying to solve them on our own, even laughing inwardly when people tell us that God can help us. We look at the impossibility of the task, and our faith falters. But we forget how big our God is!

   I love the innocence of the little boy who came forward to offer his lunch. Think about it for a moment. He could have kept it to himself. He could have reasoned that there would be no way to feed everyone with what he had and he might as well eat it himself. After all, he was the only smart one who thought to bring some food along! But he didn't. He went forward and gave all he had to Jesus. He trusted it in God's hands and believed He could do something big with it.

   Then Jesus "looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples." And what did the disciples do? (They listened to God and obeyed Him, even though they probably didn't completely believe that He could do it.)

   And the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

   What can we learn from this?

  1.  Bring your problem to Jesus.

  2.  Surrender what you have to God. It may not be much, but give it to Him.

  3.  Give thanks for what you have and believe God can multiply it.

  4.  Obey whatever God tells you to do.

   If you have gotten yourself into a bad situation due to your own poor planning and negligence (or if ye've come aboard and forgotten yer supplies), then be aware God may not grant you an easy way out. He may be trying to teach you something. But I guarantee that if you come to Him and surrender your problem and your will and you truly put Him first, He will help you. He can't do otherwise; it would be against His nature.

    I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread (Psalm 37:25 NIV).

    Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

Getting My Sea Legs

By Debbie Mitchell

   When I was new to my faith, I had no idea how to approach people about Jesus. I wasn't overzealous like a lot of new Christians. I was quiet and downright afraid to speak to anyone about my faith. Then one day I was in church and one of the Sunday School teachers asked me to help her with her class. I love kids, so I said I'd be glad to help. That's all it took for me to come out of my shell. The children gave me the courage I needed. Shortly after helping in that class, I was teaching my own class. I have been a Sunday School teacher ever since. God had a plan for my life.

    So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11 NLV).

   As a teacher, I have a great responsibility to the children. The words I say must be God's words and not my own. I will be judged by the way I teach. That is quiet the incentive to do my best.

    Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1 NIV).

   I no longer fear talking to others about Christ. God used the precious children in my life to help me stand in my faith.

   No more wobbly legs for me. 

Have a blessed SONday, Mateys!!!!