The Daily Dose

You are a laborer

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Luke 10:2

Have you ever wondered how to pray for your lost family and friends?  Have you ever prayed “Lord, save them, please” over and over again with no noticeable results?  In today’s scripture, Jesus tells us exactly how to pray for unsaved loved ones.  He says to pray to the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers.  So, your prayer for the lost could sound something like this:  Jesus, Lord of the harvest, send out laborers to my lost friend __________.  Send that one person across their path that they will hear and listen to.  Send those into their life that will love them into your Kingdom and if I am the one, show me how to love them in a way that they will want to step into a relationship with you.

Which brings me to my second point, you are a laborer.  Maybe you are not the one that can reach your friend or family member, but you can be a laborer that someone else is praying for.  Pray the Lord of the harvest to send you to people who have others praying for their salvation.  Pray for those you can love, encourage and lead into the Kingdom of heaven.  Ask Him to keep you aware of those in need of help and prayer.  We are all here to help each other out, so always be looking for people, you can reach out to because someone is praying for them somewhere.

Today I want to encourage you to remember as you go into your day that you are a laborer.  Labor together with the prayers of your brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborer to reach into the lives of your loved ones, and pray for yourself to be a laborer to reach the loved ones of others.  The harvest truly is plenteous, but we are the laborer who need to go out there and bring them in.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 10:1-4

1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 

2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 

3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 

4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 

No Retreat

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Luke 9:58

I have always heard it said about this passage that Jesus was telling the scribe that He was homeless, or He didn’t have a place to sleep.  That may be true or may not be, I don’t know.  However, it doesn’t mean that it is wrong to own a home.  It doesn’t mean that you have to be homeless to be a disciple.

I believe what Jesus was telling the man was a little deeper than that.  Jesus wanted him to consider the lifestyle that was lived as a disciple or one who stayed with Jesus all the time.  It was constant.  This wasn’t a time for retreat or for relaxation, it was full time ministry.  Jesus knew that he was here in the world for a short time and pressed hard to ensure that He completed His mission down to the last detail.  He never said to His disciples, “Tomorrow, I’m taking the day off to go be by myself for a while.”  He did get up early to spend quiet time with God before the day started, but that was by far anything like a vacation.

Jesus said: “Even animals have a place of rest and retreat, but there is no time in this ministry for your own agenda.”  Right after this discussion in Mark’s gospel, Jesus is on a boat laying His head down to sleep. So, we know that He took time to give His body rest.  What He didn’t do is take time to go off on His own to pursue His dreams and aspirations.  We know this because His focus was the cross and the mission He came to earth for.  But He didn’t dream about that day. In fact, right before it was time for Him to be crucified, He pleaded with His Father to come up with another way to provide redemption for people.

How does this apply to us today?  What message is Jesus sending to His disciples of that day and this one?  Certainly, He doesn’t expect us all to sell all our belongings and walk around reaching out to people?  What He does expect is that we are on mission.  We are here in the world on assignment, and that is what our day-to-day focus should be.  God’s plan is not for His children to live this life the way those without Him live.  He never planned that we would settle down, have 3.5 children work a job for 40 years and then retire and travel the world on constant vacation.  His plan is for us to reach this lost and dying world every day, wherever we are.  Just as Jesus was on mission right where He was by teaching the crowds, training His followers and ministering to the broken ones, that is what He expects us to do.

Today I want to encourage you to stop walking around people and ignoring those who clearly need a Savior.  Make it a priority to notice who is around you each day and what they are going through.  Don’t look at others and judge if they are worthy of your attention or love.  Make all people that you come into contact with feel the love of God in your presence.  Then be ready to share His love when the opportunity presents itself.  Decide today to get off of your agenda and mission and step into the mission you were designed to complete before your time here runs out.  Seek His direction each morning before you go out into your day and then check inward often to make sure you don’t miss any detail of what you were sent here to do.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:57-62

57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

One Team

But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.” Luke 9:50

Football season if in full swing.  If you follow professional ball, you probably watch your favorite teams each week.  You may have even gone to the field to watch in person once or twice.  Most games you watch or attend have the same elements.  There is a stadium when you sit and watch the game, venders that sell food and souvenirs, restrooms, and the spectators.  Mostly the only difference from city to city are the teams.  There is always an opposing team.  There is the team you came to see and the other team.

In today’s reading, Jesus is talking to the two disciples about the difference between two different groups.  Those on our side and those on the other side.  Two different “teams”.  He explained to the disciples that if they are praying and doing good in my name, they are on our side.  Do not forbid them.  He continued saying no one who does miraculous things in Jesus’ name will be speaking evil of Him.

I believe this is a message we as the body of believer can get around today.  Just because other believers go to a different denomination or have doctrine that varies, if the pray in the name of Jesus, believe in His salvation to the world and do good to others in His name, we are on the same team.  We do not need to distance or condemn other church people.  They are all part of the family of God and our brothers and sisters in the LORD. Jesus finished this conversation with: Anyone who gives in My name will be rewarded for it.

Today I want to encourage you to help bridge the gap in the Church body.  Do not forbid others to pray and worship in the name of Jesus just because they go to a different church.  We are all on one team, the home team, the winning team.  Join together with all your kingdom of heaven family and serve one another in the name of Jesus!  Great things will happen when we live together as a family in this world and the next.

Today’s Scripture Reading: Luke 9:49-56

49 Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 

52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 

53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 

54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 

56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

The least will be great

^{and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” Luke 9:48}

Have you ever wanted to be the greatest at something?  The greatest basketball or baseball player?  The greatest concert pianist or artist that ever lived?  Maybe you have dreamed of being the greatest executive that built a great firm from the ground up?  We all have dreams and aspirations of some kind and a built-in desire to succeed.  As lofty and grand as your plans may be, it is not wrong to set goals and pursue advancement, but there is a secret to it all.

In today’s reading, Jesus gives us one of those opposite principles.  Jesus told His disciples whoever is least will be great. In other words, He was saying that if they wanted to be first or the best, they would have to always put others ahead of themselves and serve them.  Ouch!  This is not the most popular message He ever gave, and it is certainly not something that is in our nature to do.  I would say most people tend to go toward the pride side of things and want others to look what they have accomplished and admire it.  But Jesus said true success is when you humble yourself to take care of others and prefer people above yourself.

The apostle Paul talked about this in his letter to the Romans.  He said in Romans 12:10 to be kindly affectionate to one another with brother love, in honor giving preference to one another.  It is a true success law and a principle set up by God that works every time you follow it. 

Our heavenly Father wants us to take care of one another in a way that we make others feel loved and encouraged.  In order to accomplish this, you must put the focus on another person and take it off of yourself.  Think about it.  It doesn’t make anyone feel better about themselves if you tell them how great you are and how successful you have become because you had just the right ideas and plans.  Even if it is true, the thing that blesses others is when you talk about their strengths and their enablement to do great things.

You can also consider that it is not so special to others if they get to wait on you and serve your needs.  What really shows another person that you care about them is when you humbly take care of their needs and desires.

So, today I want to encourage you to put yourself in first place by being the last.  Make yourself the greatest by serving the needs of others around you.  Achieve great accomplishments in your life by blessing the people that God brings your way and put yourself in the path of God’s greatest plan by helping others to succeed, first.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:37-48

37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.

38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 

39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 

40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”

41 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 

42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 

44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” 

45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 

48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

What should you say?

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  Luke 9:34

Have you ever known people who were uncomfortable with silence?   Anytime there is a gap in conversation, they feel the need to fill it?  They take it on themselves to keep control of any downtime or lull in social situations and speak whatever comes to their mind.  Usually it is useless information, gossip or boasting about their own accomplishments.  It can be more awkward than the silence and even annoying at times.

As we read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life here on earth, we get a little hint that Peter may have been that kind of person. In today’s reading Peter actually interrupts a conversation Jesus is having with Moses and Elijah. It implies that he felt like he had to say something because he was afraid and didn’t understand fully what he was seeing and hearing.

An interesting thing happened though, God speaks over Peter and tells them that they should listen to His Son Jesus.  Basically, telling the disciples that were there that day to stop talking and listen.  I’m sure they were very afraid then, in fact in another account of this scene, it says they fell on their faces because they were greatly afraid. (See Matthew 17)

The point is, you do not need to feel pressured into speaking, even when you have thoughts that pop into your head or there is a break in the discussion.  It is ok to sit and listen.  Check inside your heart to see if there is any prompting from the Holy Spirit.  Wait for others to share what is on their heart.  It might be an opportunity for you to show interest in what others are up against right now. You can be present without being the center of things.

Today I want to encourage you to first of all, listen to what the Spirit of God is impressing on your heart today.  Don’t just plan on doing and saying everything that comes into your mind.  Make your conversations and attentions be on what God is doing in other people’s lives and take time to listen to the wisdom that others may be speaking into your life and consider that. Wisdom is found not only in the things you know and say, it is also in the things you don’t say.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:28-36

28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 

29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 

30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 

31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 

32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 

33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 

35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 

36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

Pursue the Kingdom

_{For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? Luke 9:25}

Stuff!  It seems like the whole world is after it.  Constantly running after more possessions.  More things, pleasures, power, and recognition.  Today’s scripture asks the question, what value is it to gain the whole world?  I continually remind myself to ask this question: What am I running after in this world? What am I pursuing?  Is it things?  Am I trying to accumulate enough things to make me as comfortable as possible in this life?  Is my entire goal in life to work so I can have the things I want to have and do the things I want to do and go to the places I want to go?  When I look at the people of history who have a name that is remembered through the ages, the reason isn’t because of how much they accumulated in life or how comfortable they were able to make life while they were here.  What stands the test of time is a life of self-sacrifice.  The people who have made a difference in this world were people who lived their lives for others.  Whether it was presidents, preachers, even doctors and nurses, those who made a significant impact for the better were those who poured out themselves into the lives of others.

As I come to the part of my life that I am currently in, some of the things that I am recognizing is:  1. Life is short! 2. Only what’s done for the kingdom of heaven will last.  3. History is our teacher.  There are many people in history that gained great wealth that we have never heard of since the day they died.  Only those who contributed to others have built been noted in time.  Yet, even that memory fades.  The thing that will last for all eternity is being rich toward God.  Living a life that exemplifies love, not just any love, but the love of God.  It is not something that can be attained through wealth.  Which, by the way, is great news because anyone can have it.  It is only through God’s love that we can make our life count.

Most of us know that you cannot buy eternal life.  It is a gift from God, yet so many of us are so focused on loading up our bank account instead of loading up our heavenly account.  By turning everything, we have over to God for the Kingdom of heaven’s expansion, we are storing up our treasure in heaven and not wasting it away here on earth.

Today, I encourage you to start being rich toward God in this world.  Turn everything you have and are over to Him.  Make a lasting difference in the world by committing to God your resources (time, abilities, words, and finances).  Everywhere you go, let your relationship with God through Jesus be the light that shines through.  When you enter a room, let it be God entering that place. Others will think of God when they see you because you are different than the rest of the world.  Make your life count for all eternity by building God’s eternal Kingdom not your temporary dwelling place on Earth.

Today’s scripture reading:  Luke 9:23-27

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 

24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 

25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 

26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 

27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Timing

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one. Luke 9:21

I recently went to the symphony where I listened to the beautiful flow of many instruments making music together in perfect harmony?  How soothing it was when all the musician played in sync, following the musical plan flawlessly.  As I watched closely, I noticed during certain parts of the performance, some of the instruments were not playing at all, but they still watched the maestro and sheet music to know exactly the right time to begin or join in.  When they picked up and began to play their instrument at just the right moment to add their part into the concerto, oh how sweet it was to hear!  I considered that if someone missed a note or began playing at the wrong time, it would be more than obvious, it would have been disruptive and chaotic.

In today’s reading, there is a discussion between Jesus and His disciples about what the people are saying about Him.  What a contrasting stand Jesus takes at this point in His ministry.  He asked the disciples what people are saying about Him and who do they think He is?  The disciples had many different answers: John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets.  Then Jesus turned the question to them.  “But who do you say that I am?”  At that prompt, Peter spoke up boldly “You are the Christ (Messiah).”

The next statement is the contrasting part.  Jesus firmly told His disciples at that time don’t tell anyone about Him.  At the end of His time in this world, He told His disciples and many others to go tell the whole world about Him.  What was the difference if they told them at that point of the ministry or later?

If you continue reading the following verses, you will see that Jesus unpacked the reason and told them plainly and openly (See vs. 22) that the elders, chief priests and scribes are going to kill Him and after three days He is going to raise up from the dead.  His concern was the timing.  There was a plan, and He was following it step by step, day by day.  The disciples, on the other hand, were following Him, but didn’t necessarily know the plan or at least they didn’t understand it.  This was their direction for that time.  Jesus was saying: Don’t be telling everyone what you know until the timing is right.  Now is not the time for that.

If I think about it, I can easily understand the point about timing.  Many times, in my life I know the Lord dropped something into my heart.  Whether it was a dream for the future or even a kind and encouraging word for a friend or stranger.  If I would have run with it at the time, the results would not have been productive because He was just letting me know it was coming up some day, but not necessarily right now.  How did I know it wasn’t the time right now?  Mostly because in order to make it happen, I would have to force it or make it happen in my own strength and way.  When I pray about it and wait for the open door that He provides, then I know it is time to move.  He even reminds me about it when it is happening if I forget.

Timing is crucial to the plan of God.  Rushing to get things moving or pushing to make something happen is not His plan.  There are many examples in scripture that prove this out.  The way to execute God’s plans in your life is to watch the maestro, follow closely along to the written notes (God’s Word) and begin to play at the appointed time as directed.

Today I want to encourage you to press in.  Listen to the prompts and nudging the Holy Spirit is giving you.  Write down the thing He is dropping into your spirit.  Pray over these things daily and watch for the open door to walk through when the right time comes.  Play your part perfectly in God’s great orchestra and let Him pull you into the melody at just the right timing.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:18-22

18 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

19 So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 

22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

Get it in His hands

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. Luke 9:16

Do you believe in miracles?  Do you believe that God is still doing them today?  Surly we have all heard of miraculous healings and provisions throughout history and even maybe in our lifetime, but is God still working miracles in this day and hour? In 2022?

I believe so!  I believe He wants to do even more, but we have developed a lifestyle of taking care of our own problems and meeting our own needs.  In the richness of our day, miracles are few and far between.  We have become self sufficient and have little need of God’s intervention.  Still times come when the Dr. just isn’t enough or the circumstances build up to where we cannot get out a mess we have gotten into. Somehow have forgotten that God is the answer and if we would just turn things over to Him, He would turn the situations around for good instead of evil.

In today’s reading, we see the hand of God move over a crowd of people who didn’t even realize what was happening.  They came out to learn and listen to Jesus and to see if He would do some healing or miraculous things.  Little did they know, they were about to be a part of one of the greatest miracles of all time.  The breaking of 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5000 people.  There is no need to make this miracle any greater by saying it was probably 15000 – 20000 people.  There is no way that these 5 small loaves and 2 fish could be stretched in the natural to feed 500 people let along 5000.  Jesus received a boy’s lunch of five small loves of bread (dinner rolls) and two fish and after He lifted them up to heaven, He blessed and broke them.  Then He began to distributing them to the crowd.  There ended up being enough in that small lunch to feed the multitudes there that day plus there were 12 baskets of leftovers.  Amazing!!

How did it happen?  The disciples simply brought all they had to Jesus, then He blessed that gift and multiplied it back into the entire crowd.  This is the same way any miracle happens.  Bring it all to Jesus and He will bless it and return it back to you in abundance.  Maybe it isn’t food that you need.  Maybe you need a financial miracle to pay some insurmountable bill?  Get all you have into the hands of Jesus, and He will multiply it back to you.  Maybe you are facing an illness or physical disability?  Get it in the hands of Jesus!  Maybe you are having a family struggle?  Get it into the hands of Jesus!  Your miracle is waiting for you there.

Today I want to encourage you especially if you are in need of heavenly intervention in your life.  Take that issue, crisis, dilemma, and problem and get it into the hands of Jesus!  He will multiply a miracle back.  It may not look exactly like you imagined it would, but it will be a beautiful thing!  It may not happen in an instant but know that when you turn all your need over to Him and put your problem in His hands, He is working it all together for good!

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:7-17

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 

8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 

9 Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him.

10 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 

11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 

12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” and they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 

14 For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” 

15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.

16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 

17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

Called and sent

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:1-2

I don’t remember the exact day I was called into ministry, but I was trained for it since the day I was born.  I don’t remember the day I was sent out to minister to others, but I began doing it even as a young child in my grade school to friends there.  The calling was there when I was born into a Pastor’s family, but I wasn’t sent until I went out into the world.

In today’s reading, Jesus called His disciples to Him and gave them power and authority over the works of darkness.  They had been with Him for some time before He sent them out into the cities.  They were being trained from the first day they began walking with Jesus, but it was after they had done some growing and developing in their faith that they were sent out into the world to minister. 

Jesus told the disciples that their message would be received by some and not by others.  He wanted them to know and expect that there would be some resistance, but that was not to stop their mission.  He told them to just shake it off when they were rejected, and it would be a testimony to the world around them.

Today, He calls and sends us too.  We are called to learn and walk with Him through His Words and Holy Spirit.  He is with us guiding and empowering each one of His people to reach others in our lives with the message of His great love and salvation.  We do this by telling them how His love has changed our lives and those we know.  

Today I want to encourage you to put yourself in training.  Hear His call to worship, praise and salvation.  Begin to learn of Him and let His love transform your life by spending time with Him and walking close to Him each day.  Then when you are sent out, you will be different than you were before.  You are now a child of the God in heaven.  You have been changed from the inside out.  You no longer have to try to behave a certain way, you have become a new creation in Christ Jesus.  You are called to Him and sent by Him to the world you have been placed in to lead to Him. Expect some opposition, but shake it off as a testimony to those who would be reached.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:1-6

1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 

2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 

3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.

4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 

5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Don’t doubt, only believe

But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Luke 8:54

Have you ever got a direction from God and got excited in your spirit to take that step of faith required to get there?  Inevitably the next thing that happens is you tell a close friend, and they begin to warn you off, telling you why it will not work.  They sincerely think they are helping and are not deliberately trying to sabotage you, but they are not considering that you are following the lead of the Holy Spirit and there is a plan. All they see is that is doesn’t make sense in the natural world.

This is a similar experience to what Jairus had when he took Jesus and His disciples to his house.  When he got there, all the people were carrying on because the little girl had died.  They were sincerely sad but when Jesus told them she was just sleeping, they begin to ridicule Him and give Him all the reasons that they knew better than that.

I love what Jesus did next.  He made them all leave the house.  This was a bold move especially because it was not even His house.  I’m sure these were friends and relatives of Jairus.  People he had known for years maybe even his whole life, but that didn’t matter to Jesus.  He just cleared the place out.

I have often wondered why He did that.  Surly there were some that were offended and even hurt that Jairus would allow a stranger to come in at such a time and make them all leave.  There were probably even some that were upset with Jairus because he didn’t step in and say it was okay for them to stay.  I don’t believe the reason Jesus asked them to leave was because He needed a quiet environment so He could concentrate on preforming a miracle and I don’t think He made them leave because their weeping and wailing was annoying Him.  I believe the reason He made everyone leave was because of their unbelief.  He didn’t want the negative words and attitude shutting down the miracle that was about to happen.

I know that you are probably thinking that He is Jesus, and He could do anything at any time regardless of who or what was coming against His actions, and it is true, but even the scriptures say that in Jesus own town He could do no mighty work there because of the people’s unbelief. (See Matthew 13:58) The truth is that our heart and attitude have everything to do with seeing a move of God in our lives.  It is up to us to shut out the nay-sayers and the doubting words that people want to “help” us with and trust the scripture and word from God that He has given to us to follow.  Even when it comes to directly obeying scripture, people will try to talk you out of it because it is Old Testament or just for bible times day.  However, if you truly want to walk with God in life, you will have to stop walking in unbelief and fear of what others will think.

Today I want to encourage you to take a look at the places where you have stepped out in faith following the direction God had given.  Did you ever have to resist some negativity?  Now think about the steps the Holy Spirit is leading you to now.  Are you hearing any doubting and steering in a different direction from the people around you?  Begin today to put those voices out and step closer to the ones who will support and help you accomplish all that God has put in your heart.  Don’t lose out on your miracle because of doubt and unbelief, turn away from the opposers and criticizers and turn toward the One who will make miracles happen!

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 8:49-56

49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”

50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 

51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 

52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 

53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.

54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 

55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 

56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.