Give Me A Break

Isaiah 66:14-When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like the grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants; but his fury will be shown to his foes.
Why broken bread is better than sliced bread any day…
Matthew 14:19-Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people.
Mark 6:40 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people.
Matthew 15:29-39, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6 also give these accounts.
There are a couple of things that can be seen here. At the last supper, Jesus broke the bread and said, “This is my body which is broken for you.” He also said that whoever did not eat of him and drink of him (his blood-represented by the wine) would die. He also said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” So, salvation is represented here. In the wilderness, God fed the Israelites with Manna-the bread that came down from heaven. So the loaves of bread are the Manna that feeds us-our spirits. Jesus is the Word of God, and it is the Word of God that feeds, heals, and sustains our spirits.
Jesus gave the broken loaves to his disciples to give to the people. First, when I think about the pieces of the loaves that went out to each of 5, 000 and then again 4, 000, and all ate and were satisfied, I am reminded of how many different people-individuals, and how many different needs were met in that crowd. Jesus meets each one of us right at our need. Then, I wondered how many of the 4,000 had also been in the crowd of 5,000. Jesus meets our every need, every time we have a need. Jesus is in every situation (He’s the bread), for every situation (He’s the broken bread), and in spite of every situation (He’s the multiplied bread-remember the loaves by themselves were not enough because the crowd was so big). It occurred to me that there is now way there could have been 5,000 plus pieces of those loaves when the disciples started out. The bread had to be multiplying as it went out; as the disciples were distributing it to the people. That represents the move of the Holy Spirit to me. That’s the way the Holy Spirit works. I think about them lifting the baskets and carrying the bread through the crowds. When we lift God up to the world around us, His glory is magnified, the Holy Spirit moves; and great and mighty things begin to happen. Also, I think of the woman at the well, who told the villagers about Jesus. Pretty soon, they were seeing for themselves and telling their own testimonies-the news spread. The disciples giving the broken bread to the people, shows me how God will send people into our lives with a word for us sometimes-because as believers, we’re all disciples. God may speak through one person and reach 200 or more with the same message, even though all two hundred people may have 200 different needs. The basketfuls left over and coming back make me think about how many might hear from someone that heard from us; how many might be “fed “by someone who was “fed” by us, and come to Jesus and be saved as a result.
Finally, Jesus is the one who broke the loaves. Only in a personal and one on one relationship with the Lord, through prayer, in praise and worship, and through spending time with Him in God’s Word, can we fully come to know him intimately, develop our relationship with him, our faith in him, and our growth in him. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves; and he reveals himself, the Father, and the truth to us; and in pieces that fit our needs specifically and exactly.
Scriptures taken from NIV Bible

The Family’s Feud

2 Chronicles 28:15 The men designated by name took the prisoner, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes, sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow countrymen at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.
There was war and fighting going on between Judah and Israel. Israel had slaughtered them and taken prisoners. Verse 28:8 tells us how many captives they took and then it goes on. The prophet Oded came and told them they must send back the prisoners in verse 11. They were kinsmen and countrymen. In verse 15 we see where they sent them back.
This passage speaks to me about the “family feud.” Really, all of us are family; each one created and each one loved by God. The one scripture that comes to mind is “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” When we hold things against each other and over each other’s heads, we’re holding captives or hostages. We’re making slaves of those we refuse to “let go”; especially when we involve the next generations; when we keep it going on and on. We keep them down under the weight of our anger and bitterness, our need to exact punishment and get revenge. But that’s not God’s way. That’s not mercy.
The scriptures that comes to mind here is the one about repentance and forgiveness, and the 70×7 thing; and Calvary, of course, because Jesus is our way back. Mercy picks you up, dusts you off, sees to it that you’re okay, and provides a way for you to get back; and then lets you go. God doesn’t withhold good from us even in our sin. We may not see it because we’re blinded by our sin, but it’s there. So, should our good be. What someone has done to us, what is or isn’t between us has nothing to do with God’s command to us to love one another like he loves us.
Finally, when I think of the whole thing, the absurdity of it all hits me. What did they gain by slaughtering each other in rage? All the plunder went to caring for the prisoners-(provisions) and to “damage repair”-trying to heal the wounds, and for their passage back. Note that they didn’t stay “together”; but each went their separate way. What was gained?-nothing. But how much was lost forever? How much life was snuffed out?

His Hand Reveals, Restores and Exposes

Isaiah 66:14 –When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like the grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
Matthew 20:34-Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately, they received their sight and followed him. Jesus reveals himself and the Father to us. It’s one of the reasons he came down from heaven. He said, “When you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” He reveals God’s word, which is truth, to us. He sets us free from the bondage of the lies we’ve believed-about ourselves, others, about God, the Kingdom of Heaven and its principles and the world and its principles.
It doesn’t stop there. Jesus will reveal truth to us about any situation/circumstance/person, including us, when we ask Him to. He’ll show us clearly hearts, motives- our own, and other things we may not be aware of.
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and their sight was restored. Sometimes we lose sight of truth and/or reality. We lose sight of ourselves, our destinations and purpose; and we lose sight of God, his will for us and his way. We lose ourselves in our lives, our struggles, our circumstances. Jesus restores our vision/sight and gets us back on track.
Jesus asked the two men here, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” In other words, “Where is your faith?” We have to ask ourselves that question when we get lost and off track. Actually, that’s a good question to ask ourselves before we take on those struggles and circumstances or any new endeavor. “Where is my faith?” In other words, “How much of what I know do I really believe and am I ready to act on it?” Remember the man whose son was demon possessed? He had to ask Jesus to help him with his unbelief. Jesus is faithful-He will increase our faith and make us able to act; casting out fear and doubt. He told the blind men, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Once we know the truth, we have to believe it and act on it. If we choose to ignore the truth, then it is of no avail. The parable of the house built on sand and the one on rock illustrates this.
Mark 3:23-25 Sometimes God has to take you out of your “village” in order to reveal the truth or restore our sight to us. He has to get us away from that crowd of friends, our family of origin, from that church/church group, etc., because they may actually be causing the blindness-the dysfunction, enablement, false beliefs, disablement, and oppression. Sometimes we need to get away from these people before we can begin to see. Jesus touched him and he saw trees walking-they all looked alike to him. God exposes. Think in terms of statements like: “Well, everyone in this group only wears this color or that color.” “Women in this church don’t wear make-up and must wear dresses.” Instead of the individuality and uniqueness of every person being appreciated and encouraged, it is discouraged. Anyone who challenges the “norm” is “punished.” Mark 8:25-Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then they were opened, his sight restored, and he saw everything clearly. When we’re in our “villages”, tucked away from the rest of the world, we don’t see what things are like on the outside. God can restore us to be able to see the whole truth-not just one side or aspect of it. The man then saw everything clearly.

His Hand Makes Us Strong Enough to Stand

Isaiah 66:14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like the grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but His fury will be shown to His foes.
Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. This is in the story of the boy who’d had the unclean spirit that Jesus cast out. (Mark 9:14-29) His father, like the girl’s father came to Jesus for help. The spirit threw the boy into the water or the fire; and he’d had it his entire life. It made him foam at the mouth and robbed him of his speech.
There are some differences between this boy and the little girl. First, the little girl was dead; this boy wasn’t. He only appeared dead. Secondly, Jesus had to actually lift him to his feet because he was too weak to get up on his own. Thirdly, the little girl had died from an illness. This boy was bound by a demon. One was a physical thing, the other a spiritual one.
This makes me think of generational curses, addiction and co-dependency, dysfunction and enablement. The boy’s father had cared for him all of his life; and he never got any better, but only grew worse. The man was just as much bound by that demon as his son was. Obviously, this man had to care for his son. But in terms of generational curses, dysfunction and enablement are ways in which we actually disable those we love and think we’re helping. It works the same with anyone caught up in addictions, and co-dependency.
The man was finally at wit’s end and went to Jesus for help-after he’d been to the disciples, who couldn’t cast the demon out. This makes me think about a couple of things. We rush immediately for help when someone we love is dying; but we often deny our own part in the dysfunction and, the fact that we need help for ourselves. (Mark 9:23-24) The man asked Jesus to help his unbelief. It takes courage to look at our part in the picture and to ask for help.
Interestingly, this man called Jesus, “Teacher.” That’s significant in light of the fact that Jesus “lifted the boy to his feet.” Dysfunction is hard to unlearn; and new beliefs, behaviors, and habits are hard to learn. That demon threw that boy down and rolled around when Jesus told him to come out. Jesus is with us every step of the way through. We just need to keep persevering-keep seeking His Word; and keep casting out the old thoughts and casting down the old mindsets/beliefs and behaviors. We need to keep implementing the new ones. Remember, the boy “looked like a corpse” but he wasn’t really dead. There’s a saying: “Old habits die hard.”
Finally, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t been able to make the demon come out of the boy. Jesus’ reply was, “This kind only comes out by prayer.” I lost count of how many times I found myself on my knees with tears running down my face and begging the Lord to get me through my struggle. Somewhere along the way I finally figured out how much of a difference it made to start my day out in prayer-contact with the Lord, and ask for the help to get through and stay focused FIRST thing! Even then, so many times I fumbled the ball, ran the wrong way down the field, fell flat on my face to find myself praying and asking for forgiveness and strength to get back up and keep going. Jesus is faithful; and I’m still going through-because when I allow Him to, He’s getting through.

There’s Resurrection Power in His Hand

Isaiah 66:14 –When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like the grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but His fury will be shown to his foes.
Matthew 9:25 He went in and took the girl by the hand and she got up. (Also in Mark 5:41) This is the story of Jabirus’’ daughter. Jairus had brought Jesus to his house to heal her because she was dying. By the time they got there, Jairus’ daughter was already dead.
I got a couple of things out of this passage. This little girl represents the future. Sometimes we mess things up so badly that it might look like we have no future left. All the dreams, plans, any hope for ever succeeding with a certain thing or just with our life in general may look like they’re gone-dead. We may give up and let them go or bury them. That’s what the crowd of mourners was doing. They’d given up and were letting go of the girl. Everyone around you may tell you its too late, there’s no hope, etc. But Jesus will silence those “mournful voices” –He put the crowd out of the room. The bible tells us that the wages of sin are death. You may have lived a “death” or “dead” life after a downfall or a setback. You may have accepted that where you ended up is where you have to stay; and may not even be awake to possibility. But God can change the death in your life and the death that came as a result of your sin. He can resurrect you to another life-another shot at life.
Then, he took the girl by the hand and told her to get up. She got up. Sometimes, all it takes to resurrect dead dreams, dead emotions, dead desires, a dead spirit, etc. Is the touch of a hand that is filled with “life” and “power” or possibility and positive energy. Jesus is the Way, the truth and the life. He’s also the bread of life; and bread feeds and sustains us. Knowing that there’s someone with fresh ideas, someone ready to encourage and support us is sometimes all we need to reawaken the desire to get up and try again.

His Hand Will Lift You and Your Burdens

Isaiah 66:14 –When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like the grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but His fury will be shown to His foes. NIV
Matthew 8:16-17-When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.”
When I read this, I think of the cross, on which was nailed every sickness, every sin, every disease, and every dis-ease known to us. I think about all the things that God has brought me through; and, all the ways those very things-the sins, the sorrows, the sicknesses, have caused me to grow spiritually and emotionally. I think about being able to witness to someone else going through something I’ve already been through; about giving testimony to what God’s done in my life with, and in spite of all those things I’ve been through.

The story of Mary’s pregnancy comes to mind. A pregnancy usually isn’t visible to anyone early on. Even in the end of it, right up until the moment of birth, nobody knows what the baby looks like. Today we have high-tech gadgets that can give us pictures of the baby; but even then, we don’t know what color his or her eyes are, what color hair he or she has, how it feels-we still don’t see that baby fully until the moment of birth.

Sometimes we go through things-an illness or accident that changes our lives forever, losses in other areas of our lives, sometimes we lose things as a result of our own sin (choices)-remember Mary chose to carry the Son of God. Sometimes they could result in death; sometimes we wish we could die; but by the grace of God we survive them. We find ourselves in the ash pile, scraping our scabs and sores like Job and wondering, “Why me, Lord?” We may think that God is as far away from us in those times as possible. But he’s actually closer in those moments than at any other time, I think. Mary was pregnant with God’s Son. God’s seed was growing inside of her.

Psalm 31:1 –“I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths, and did not let my enemies gloat over me. “ I think about all the people who have suffered terrible tragedies in their lives; and out of those tragedies were born things like the Amber Alert System, The Susan Komen Foundation and the campaign to wipe out breast cancer, etc. God takes what’s meant for evil against us and uses those very things to lift us and countless others through us to better and bigger things and higher levels. God can take your shame, your guilt, your perceived failure, the despair and darkness-your infirmities and sorrows and not only lifts them so you can keep going. Remember Peter on the water? -Peter’s big “splash” really was a splash and he had to cry out to Jesus to save him. But he also lifts us out of the messes we make and uses them to sculpt and mold us into the glorious resurrected being we were created to be in Him.

Fever

Matthew 8:15 Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her. The scripture is referring to Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus and the disciples had gone to Peter’s house and found his mother-in-law with a fever. Also Mark 1:29-30
A fever usually means that you’re body is fighting something; some type of infection. The fever is not in itself the illness, but rather the body’s reaction to the illness or infection. It lets us know that there’s a struggle going on inside of us; that something isn’t right within.
In the same way, we can become feverish or struggle in our spirit with many different things. Sometimes, those infections and struggles are with temptation and sin; but not always. An example would be idolatry; where we’re putting things ahead of God, knowingly or unknowingly. Sometimes things happen to us that cause us to struggle spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Divorce, a job ending-especially after years of service, a death, an illness, “chronic defeat” in an area of our lives such as finance, career or business, relationships, can all cause us to have struggles within. We struggle to maintain “sanity” in the midst of the chaos that some of these things bring to our lives. We struggle to stay positive, to keep going in spite of the loss and or setback. Sometimes we struggle tremendously just to try and make sense of some tragedy; just to understand it. These struggles bring on a “fever” or a “crying out” in spirit to God. Sometimes we don’t even hear that cry ourselves—a good example may be the one who throws him/herself into work as a way of coping with the death of a loved one. He or she may begin to put in so many hours that it begins to cause some health problems, social problems, etc., and things begin to fall apart all around in tiny increments. But, the workaholic is oblivious to these signs-to this “fever.”
Jesus said, “Come to me all you who labor and are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When we allow God onto the scene-when He touches our hand-the burden of the struggle is lifted, the struggle ceases-or should. It will if we’ll let God carry the burden and us. Then we’re yoked to Him rather than the struggle. Then we’re yoked to the solution rather than the problem.
There’s a cool thing that you can see if you look a little closer at the story. Jesus and the disciples showed up on the scene—we may never know just how many “companions” or how much “support” we have in the Spirit through our struggles. We never know who might be praying for us.