The Working of Miracles

Remember the story in Mathew 14, where Jesus fed 5,000 men, plus the women & children with them? That probably would have been well over 20,000. The disciples tell Jesus, “It’s late. Send the people away, so they can go buy something to eat.” But instead of sending them away, Jesus says, “You feed them.” And He provides food for all those people with little more than a Happy Meal. And makes a profit off it as well – they have leftovers for the next day.

Skip ahead to Matthew 15. I am not sure exactly how much time passed between these two chapters, but one would think that a miracle of the magnitude of feeding all those people, would have been imprinted on the disciples’ minds permanently. But it happened again. Again, the disciples ask Jesus to send the crowds away. Again, Jesus tells them, “You feed them.” And again, they fed, and had more left over than the amount with which they began.

How could they have forgotten about the first miracle? Even Jesus Himself later asks them, “Don’t you remember the previous miracle?

What if they really didn’t forget the first miracle? What if something else was bothering them? What if they were hoping that, instead of working a miracle, Jesus would simply send the crowds away.

Think about it. They had been there not all day long, but for three days. This was a conference!

If you have ever worked a conference or large event, you can have a little compassion on the disciples. They had been working with Jesus for three days. There were teaching sessions and healing sessions. All the while, the disciples were doing what good staff does. I imagine Simon the Zealot and Peter running security, John and the sisters keeping Jesus’ water bottle filled, and Judas, of course, was gladly accepting the donations! They were managing healing lines, keeping the crowds from becoming unruly, babysitting while parents were receiving ministry, and trying to keep their Master from overexerting Himself.

At the end of the third day, and in my opinion, being completely reasonable, they asked Jesus to send the people away. But no! He did it again. He said, “You feed them.”

All they wanted was a nice, quiet, relaxing dinner with the Master, a well-deserved perk. They remembered the last time He fed thousands of people with just a little; they remembered the work involved in serving all those people. Twelve men, serving 20,000-plus people. Then the clean up afterwards! Wow!

I can just imagine the disciples thinking, and maybe even complaining among themselves. “If He wants to do a miracle, then just do it. Why doesn’t He just speak, and have food appear in front of all these people?! Why do we have to serve them all?! This is NOT what I signed up for. I thought we were going to be training for a revolution, and all He does is teach love, and now this takes the cake! Now we have to serve all these people who should’ve had the intelligence to plan ahead, and bring some food with them. This is just ridiculous!”

Why DID Jesus involve them? Why DIDN’T He just POOF! Make the food appear in front of the people?

I don’t know. What I do know, is this -

1 Corinthians 12:10 mentions the “working of miracles.” That’s an interesting term. No matter which version you read, the word “miracles” itself tends to a connotation of “works.”

When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, the man first had to stretch it out (Mat 12:13). When Peter and John healed the cripple outside the temple, he had to muster his faith and get up (Act 3:6). Remember the 10 lepers? They were healed as they went (Luk 17:14).

I don’t know WHY Jesus often required an action to precipitate a miracle, or why He STILL operates in the same MO.

Yes, I said STILL.

Jesus said that His followers would do the works that He had been doing (Jhn 14:12), and that miracles would follow believers (Mar 16:17,18).

If God STILL operates as He did in the life of Jesus and in the early church, why don’t we see more miracles? To make this a little more personal, why do I not see more miracles? Has God changed? No.

Then it must be me. I do not see more miracles, because I’m just too lazy or too busy or too scared to go “work” the miracles.

Too lazy. I like my recliner. Some days, after a long day at work, all I want to do is go home and sit with my feet up. After all, I deserve that, don’t I?

Too busy. I like staying busy. I have a job, a part-time job, a house to run. Sometimes I just don’t have time to go to someone in the hospital and work a miracle, do I?

Too scared. Fear. This is the big one. What if I do get over my laziness and my busy-ness, go to someone who’s sick, and say, “In the name of Jesus, be healed,” and nothing happens? Then I’ll look stupid, won’t I?

My challenge is to simply do what I’m supposed to do, as a believer, and let God handle the rest.

I am simply a conduit through which His power can flow. Nothing more. Nothing less.

My husband, Mark, & his cousin Barbara Tims, who was a
great woman of faith and a worker of miracles. May I be more
like she was!

Time to stop being too lazy.

It’s time.

Time to stop being too busy.

It’s time.

Time to stop being too scared.

It’s time.

Time to go WORK miracles.

Who’s with me?

Peace - Davina

When Job Prayed for His Friends

You've probably heard the story of Job. Most people have, even those who aren't in church circles. It's the story of a very wealthy Middle-Eastern businessman. We don't know exactly how much land or other holdings he had, but in livestock alone he would be worth well over $5m today.

He lost it all to terrorists and natural disasters in one "perfect storm" of a day, then he got sick, really sick. And to top it all off, his wife told him to just give up and die. What a woman, right?!

Then he had these three "friends" who came around to "comfort" him. Chapter after chapter of the historical book named after him are devoted to their words of "wisdom." The discourse goes back and forth, and finally God Himself speaks.

And all of a sudden, we see that Job is again healthy and wealthy, but even more than before. What a great ending to a tragic story! What happened? How did it all turn around?

We find the secret in Chapter 42: "The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold." ( Job 42:10 NASB).

So Job prayed for his friends, then God  took care of Job. Sounds like we're responsible for more than just ourselves, doesn't it? It sounds like we're supposed to be very intentional about one another's needs. It sounds very closely related to the Golden Rule.

We find this principle echoed in the letter of Paul to the Philippians: "If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand" (Php 2:1-4 MSG).

If I could encourage you towards one thing, it would be this:

Let's turn our attention to the needs of others. It not only lifts our spirits, but I'm convinced that our Heavenly Father is blessed when we do this.

Peace,


Davina

What's Your Confirmation Number?

The story goes, that a young man, setting out on his first trip alone, arrived at the hotel where he had reserved a room. The clerk had no record of his reservation. "What's your confirmation number," she asked. The young man had no clue what it was. So he had to pay for the room. Again.

From that point forward, when he made a reservation, guess what? Right! He had his confirmation number! And as luck would have it, one day he again found himself standing across from the hotel clerk, who had no record of his reservation. This time, however, he had the confirmation number. He quickly began to tell the clerk how it was going to be, because he had proof that his room was paid in advance. He said, "I don't care what you have to do, you'll get me a room!" And he got his room.

How often do we pay again for something that's already been paid?

We worry, when Jesus said, "Peace I give to you," (John 14:27).

We try to earn healing, but Jesus paid that bill 2000 years ago (1 Pet. 2:24).

Or the biggest one of all, we try to earn salvation by our works (Eph. 2:8-10). This is my personal favorite, and it is my all-time #1 confirmation number!

So how do we use our confirmation number?

Again, let's compare it to the natural. When the young man was faced with a situation that challenged whether his bill was paid, he became more forceful. He didn't give in and say, "Well, I guess this is just the way it's got to be. I don't know why." NO. He used his confirmation number to demand what was rightfully his.

Warning: you may not want to do this with a ton of people around, or run the risk of getting some pretty questioning looks, but ...

When we have any circumstance or situation that challenges what God has already confirmed is rightfully ours, maybe we should, #1 Know the Word, and #2 Use the Word. Say it out loud. Forcefully. As many times as it takes to see results.

I have a prayer book called Scripture Keys for Kingdom Living - it's a good reference for many different things that can challenge us. There are other books that have scriptures for various maladies and challenges. Or we can always dig out the nuggets of the Word on our own.

My point is this. God has given us His Word, full of confirmation numbers, for every situation.

Why not use it?!

Peace,


Davina

Never Too Late

Warning: The contents of this post are painfully self-disclosing!

This morning, as most days, I wrote out my goals for the day:

1. Hydrate (5+ bottles of water) & limit sweets (1).
2. Remain calm/no negative language.
3. Encourage Mark.

Well, I wrote a little note of encouragement & put it in the jar. #3 done!

Then I went to work. Goal #2 down the drain.

Which was shortly followed by Goal #1 (second half).

Later on this afternoon, I realized that, even though it wasn't on this list, my daily habit-in-the-making of writing an original work was also as yet unfulfilled.

So here I am, at the least productive time of my day (I'm a severe morning person), writing a blog post.

Why?

Because it's never too late.

It's never too late to start over. It's never too late to keep a promise. It's never too late to decide to follow Christ. It's never to late to develop a plan for that business idea you've carried in your mind for years.

I watched a precious young lady earlier this evening as she was baptized again, after following a destructive path that all but destroyed her. But she is beginning again, making a fresh start. And I'm so proud for her! And if she falls again, all she has to do is to get back up again.

I've heard that all we must do in order to be successful at a thing is to get back up one more time than we fall. Sounds really simple, too simple, doesn't it? Maybe so, but I'm willing to try.

How about you?

Are you willing to get up again?

Peace,


Davina

Many Called, Few Chosen

Many are called, but few are chosen (Matt 22:14).

This is a fairly well-known verse of scripture. Have you ever stopped to think about its meaning?

Jesus had "large crowds (Matt 4:25) following," He had about 70 that were sent on a special mission (Luke 10:1); and we all know about the 12 disciples, and the three who were in His inner circle.

What was the deciding factor - how did the three get to the honor of being "chosen" for His closest group of companions?

Let's forget, for a  moment, that Jesus was God wrapped in flesh, and knew the end of all things from the beginning. Jesus WAS and IS God made flesh, but He was also very much man. He chose to be one of us, to live as we live, suffer as we suffer, and be limited by the bonds of flesh as we are. He had aches and pains. (Some of my friends laugh at me because in my mind, Baby Jesus was not the glowing, non-crying, pristine baby in a nice clean manger; He was a human baby, whose home and bed were among the animals.)

Anyway, maybe Jesus "called" a bunch of people. Maybe that was the first prerequisite: be willing to follow. Then after that, some of them grew tired of following, some had no depth of commitment, others probably had to leave and go take care of family business. (Sounds a little bit like the parable of the seed on the pathway, among thorns, and so on, doesn't it?)

The point is this. Many WERE called.

They had some "proving" to do, before they were "chosen."

Just my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours.

Peace,


Davina

The Power of Practice

It was an "AHA!" moment, for sure.

I wish I could remember whose email I was reading, so I could give credit, but what I do remember was the challenge. The writer said, in effect, that what separates the pros from the posers is that the pros are consistent. I thought, simultaneously, "AHA!" and "Well, duh!" That's just so simple. But why do I often miss this little principle? So I set a challenge for myself: to write every day.

I've heard story after story, as I'm sure you have, of the athlete who rises in the wee hours each and every morning, to begin her 4-hour workout; or how about the musician who practices relentlessly every evening, while his friends are out having fun?

So I've been a poser, not a writer.

And so, I have begun, again, to write. It isn't always on this blog, but it's always some form of original writing outside of my normal journaling. Sometimes it's a blog post, sometimes a poem, or if I'm at my keyboard, maybe it's a song. I won't say these creations are always works that I wish to share, but the main point here is the practice.

Remember that old adage, "Practice makes perfect."? Well, I'm human, and I don't think my writing will ever be flawless, but a less-used definition of perfect (which happens to be the same one often used in the Bible) means "complete, full-grown." So, yeah, I think my writing, over time, can be "perfect," in the latter sense.

I've had to change some things in my life, like my alarm, my thoughts (it isn't always easy to think of something to write), and my time spent on social media. It's amazing how much more I get accomplished these days, when before, I thought I didn't have time to write. Now, it's almost addicting to see how much productivity I can squeeze into my waking hours!

I can hear some of you screaming, "Balance!" And you're absolutely correct - we must maintain balance, get plenty of rest, exercise, and relaxation. This things are vital to the healthy, whole person. But my personal experience tells me that we too often go overboard on the R&R in the name of balance. Remember, God worked six days and rested one, as did our ancestors, daylight to dark.

One more, yet unexpected, observation about this writing binge. I have noticed my creativity is growing. Not only is the writing itself coming more easily; my mind seems sharper overall. And innovative ideas are once again coming to me, that have nothing at all to do with writing.

All because of a challenge from someone I've never met, and my decision to take that challenge.

What about you?

What is it, that you need to "practice?"

What are you waiting for?


Peace,


Davina

Between the Promise and the Promotion

We've all been there.

We've heard the voice of God, maybe in our quiet place, maybe through a friend or a song, but we know when it happens. Something inside clicks, and we know, unmistakably, that we have heard His voice, and we hold on to the promise He gave at that moment.

Then reality sets in. Life happens. And we begin to wonder if we really did hear Him speak. We wonder, "Maybe it was just my imagination. After all, I don't see anything happening. If God really spoke to me, wouldn't things be better by now?"

Well, what about the children of Israel in the wilderness? Or Jesus Himself? Jesus heard the voice of God - it was a spectacular event. The Spirit of God descended on Him, and a thunderous voice from Heaven confirmed that He was the Son of God, and that God was pleased with Him! Wow, what an event!

Then immediately Jesus was sent where? Into the wilderness, where the enemy taunted Him with, "IF you are the Son of God ... IF you are ..." All Jesus had to go on was the last words of His Father, "This IS my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." But Jesus endured the wilderness, kept His faith, and won His battle. Only then, did He begin His ministry.

We see this pattern in the lives of Joseph, King David, all the great patriarchs. Why should we be any different?

Is it possible, that the reason we don't see the promotion, is because we give up on the promise?

If you've given up, it's not too late to renew your faith. Remember those children of Israel? What happened when they gave up? They just went around the mountain ... again. But the promise was still there, in hibernation. Eventually, they made it to the promised land.

Will you?

Don't give up!

Peace,


Davina