Friday | Week 5
For good reason, this is one of the most famous of Jesus’ miracles. Feeding 5000 people reminds us that Jesus can multiply what is very small and use it to impact and bless people in unimaginable ways. A sack lunch in Jesus’ hands turned out to be at the core of a great miracle. (It’s interesting to note that the two disciples who are mentioned both indicated that the situation was impossible.) So, the application challenge becomes: what are we willing to turn over to Jesus? Many of us will not necessarily do big things (feed 5000 people), but we will likely be asked to turn over our lunch for Jesus to use. Things such as our time, our skills, talents, our TV schedule, etc. can be used in very powerful ways. Are we willing to place what we have in the hands of Jesus—no matter how big or how small?
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Friday | Week 4
Thirty-eight years. Thirty-eight years. I turned thirty-seven this year. The man had laid there for longer than I have been alive. He had not been well. Where were his family members? Did he have any friends? Sadly, in our day as well as in ancient days, those who are chronically unwell can be treated as burdens on society, often ignored, sometimes mistreated.
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Friday | Week 3
We covered a lot of ground in our reading this week. I believe there is a theme throughout the whole that is very important for us to see: Words have power. This truth is shown in three unique ways in the three scenarios we read this week—three things that are important for us to learn and practice.
Words can anchor you to TRUTH.
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Friday | Week 2
For ____ so loved the_____ that He gave His one and only_____ that whoever believes in him shall not _____ but have_____life. (John 3:16)
Preschoolers can recite it. Football fans paint it boldly across cardboard signs. Former football player Tim Tebow even had it boldly inscribed in the eye black players often wear. It’s brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in moment, yet solid enough to withstand 2000 years of storms and questions. It begins with God, ends with life, and urges us to do the same!
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Friday | Week 1
One summer at church camp I met a kid named Keith. Keith was confident, expressive in his worship, and he taught me how to play Pokémon. Even though Keith was my age he was still sort of a hero to me. Keith wasn’t afraid for people to see him worshiping Jesus. I remember distinctly hearing someone go up to him and say, “You’re the man, Keith!”
Without being silly or cheesy Keith responded with, “I’m not the man, I’m just a fan of The Man.” He even showed me later that he had Fan of The Man stamped on the front cover of his Bible, where someone would normally put their name.
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