Jesus Cares About What You Need

By Allen White

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

 “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. 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 the disciples, 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. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:13-21

Often we race past the first two paragraphs of this account and head straight into the miracle. There is something very human and very divine about Jesus in this situation.

First, He retreated to a solitary place. Jesus was grieving the death of His friend and co-worker John the Baptist. The Son of God and Savior of the world needed some space to deal with His feelings over John’s cruel death. Even Jesus couldn’t just move on.

But, the crowd interrupted Jesus’ solitude. They weren’t met with an attitude. He had compassion on them. Jesus clearly was in a situation where by every right He could expect others to have compassion on Him. He lost a dear friend. But, Jesus looked past His own grief to show compassion to others.

Jesus doesn’t treat people harshly. The Creator of the Universe gives us priority over His own needs. When we are troubled, Jesus has compassion on people. He doesn’t lecture or scold. Jesus loves us.

Then, we get to the miracle. Five thousand men plus woman and children had gathered in the solitary place. With no port-a-potties or hot dog carts, they were left to fend for themselves. The problem was there just wasn’t anything to fend for.

Overwhelmed by the sheer logistics, the disciples offered to send the people away. They could barely split the food they collected 12 ways let alone 5,000 plus ways.

Grieving and compassionate Jesus asked for the meager portion of food. What was insufficient to meet the needs of 12 was multiplied into satisfaction for thousands of people that day, because Jesus blessed it. Fortunately for us, Jesus is not limited to human thinking.

A bereaved person wouldn’t be expected to provide the funeral dinner too. In fact, we could understand why someone who’s experienced a great loss might not be overly interested in the needs around him. But, Jesus is not like us.

Jesus was genuinely grieved over John’s death. Jesus was truly compassionate for the plight of broken people. Jesus was fully devoted to the practical  needs of His followers.

When we grieve, Jesus shares in our sufferings. When we are in need, Jesus has compassion for our brokenness. When we have exhausted our energy, ideas and innovation to solve our problems, Jesus has answers beyond our Imagination.

How do you need to connect with Jesus today? What is overwhelming you? How can you surrender your problems and solutions to God today? How can you allow His compassion and power to take the front seat of your issue today?

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Cast Your Vote by 11/22: Help Water of Life

Chase Community Giving is handing out $3,000,000 in the next week. Help Water of Life on our mission to provide fresh water and the Gospel in Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Guinea and among the Untouchables in India.

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Can You Handle the Truth?

By Allen White

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. Matthew 14:1-12

In my early days of ministry, I had many doubts about my effectiveness as a pastor and especially as a preacher or Bible study leader. A number of those doubts remain.

Most Wednesday nights after presenting a Bible study, I would go home and contemplate my short future in the ministry. People wouldn’t keep coming back, would they? I soon learned the best remedy for my Wednesday night blues was eating dinner and watching L.A. Law. The evaluation could wait.

Once in a while, after I spoke, someone would feel the need to give me some feedback on what they just heard. Today, I believe feedback is the breakfast of champions. Back then, it felt like someone was pounding another nail in my ministry coffin.

But, one person always lifted me out of the pit, my friend, Doris Hayes. No matter how well I did, this dear woman would always tell me, “That was just great.” And, believe me there were a number of times when I sought her out just to hear her lie to me.

Doris wasn’t trying to deceive me. She was a great encourager. And, in those early days, I certainly needed the encouragement.

Reality is a little hard for all of us to face at times. More likely than not, our fear of reality is greater than the impact of the truth. If we’ve failed or are doing things that take away from who God created us to be, it’s hard to hear that out of line. When we know it’s time to do the hard work of character building, it’s hard to hear someone point out our flaws. No one really likes to be called out.

John the Baptist had called Herod and his sister-in-law out on the inappropriateness of their relationship. In appreciation to John for his candor, Herod sent him to prison. He couldn’t kill John – the fallout was too great. But, Herod didn’t want to confront the wrong in his own life. He just needed to silence John the Baptist. Prison served the purpose initially.

At Herod’s birthday party, his sister-in-law-turned-wife’s daughter (I’m assuming his niece) presented Herod with a dance. This family put the “fun” in dysfunction. Herod was so pleased he offered her anything. She asked for John the Baptist’s head. I’m thinking that for most young girls in that day, a prophet’s decapitated head wasn’t at the top of their lists. But, she wanted to please her mother. The prophet would be silenced for good.

Herodias’ daughter had no concern for John the Baptist or apparently the life of another, but she had great concern for pleasing her mother and step-father/uncle.

Herod couldn’t argue with the request on several levels. After all, a promise is a promise. John was finally silence for good. Herod and Herodias lived happily ever after – sort of. At least no one else would challenge their relationship.

Now, we could go one way in this devotional and ask who you’ve spoken the truth to only to have them resent or avoid you. But, rather than taking the high road and assume we’re more like John the Baptist, let’s go the other way: when have we sat in Herod’s seat and heard a truth we didn’t want to hear?

How did we feel toward that person? Did we isolate ourselves from them? Did we write off what they had to say? Did we plot a way to get them back?

Who has irritated you with the truth? How have their words shown true over the years? Maybe it’s time to reconcile the relationship. It’s time to admit they were right and give them credit. After all, they loved you enough to say something about it.

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How is Jesus Living Up to Your Expectations?

By Allen White

When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. Matthew 13:53-58

My parents are still part of a church they joined in 1969. The folks in this church have known me since I was four-years-old. Dear saints like Alvin Andres, Lillian Reese, Ona Mae Price and so many others poured themselves into my life over the years.

They’ve seen me at my best and at my worst. They know I have a long way to go in reflecting Christ more clearly.

In my teenage years, I sang in the church choir and performed quite a few solos. When the old timers ask my parents about me, they always ask, “Does he still sing?” Well, my singing is mostly limited to the shower at this point in my life. But, in their minds I’m 15 years old and still possess an awesome tenor range. How things have changed?

Over the years, God has given me the opportunity to work with some of the largest and most influential churches in the country. God has given me the ability and experience to size up a church’s small groups, create an action plan, and set them in the right course within as little as 30 days. My parents’ church asks if I still sing solos.

But, it’s not just them. On my parents’ last visit, they mentioned a little guy who was a few years behind me in Sunday School. They told me he had just got married. I honestly thought, “They let 12-year-olds marry now?” Well, he’s 40, but the last time I saw him, he was 12.

A certain image of Jesus was stuck in the minds of his friends and family back home. He was the carpenter’s son. They knew his whole family. They knew where he had come from. The neighbors had a hard time accepting Jesus for who He was. Their concept of Jesus was stuck in their previous experience. The same thing can happen to us.

Jesus didn’t perform many miracles at home, because of their lack of faith. They didn’t see Him as the Son of God. He was Joseph and Mary’s son. They didn’t see Him as the Messiah. After all, He was a carpenter. They didn’t see Him as the Firstborn of all Creation (Colossians 1:15-20). He was Joseph’s firstborn.

How do you see Jesus? Is He a grace-giver or a law-enforcer in your life? Is He the baby in the manger? Is He the sacrifice for your sins? Is He closer than a brother or off in Heaven somewhere? Does He care about your days? Do you see Him as a Source of help in trouble? Does He give you freedom or does He limit you?

How you see Jesus limits what He can do in your life. If something bad happens and you believe Jesus has let you down, how is He supposed to work in your life? If something takes a turn and you see it as an opportunity to trust Jesus more deeply and even see a miracle, then something will definitely happen.

Do you believe when you’re happy Jesus loves you? But, when you’re unhappy Jesus has left you? When things are going well, do you think of Jesus at all?

Jesus can meet and even exceed your expectations of Him. If you expect little, you will get little. If you expect great things, you will see great things. How is Jesus living up to your expectations?

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Winning People to Churchianity?

By Allen White

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

 “Yes,” they replied.

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old. Matthew 13:47-52

Most people don’t write their memoirs at 25 years of age. As epic as their antics might seem to themselves, the rest of the world simply rolls their eyes and cynically waits for the rest of the story. At 25 years of age, most of us don’t know who we are, let alone have much to shout about.

Memoirs are reserved for sages who gaze back over their lives. After all, hindsight is 20/20. From the perspective of their twilight years, they can see the thread woven through their lives. At the beginning of our adult lives, most see many possibilities, but haven’t lived enough to know what life means.

From Jesus’ analogies, we understand the kingdom of God is a living and dynamic enterprise. The potential and actual growth are off the charts. God’s kingdom possesses a huge attractional factor. Both believers and non-believers are drawn to the things of God. The risk is judging who’s who too early.

Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a mess of fish. Some are worth keeping. Some are not. When we look around our places of worship, we might feel we could size things up pretty quickly. “Well, I know what that one did last night. So he’s probably out” or “She always has such a pleasant smile. That’s certainly a reflection of the joy of the Lord.” Yet, separating “good” and “bad” is not our job.

The separation takes place at the end of the time. The separators act on higher authority than what we have. The angels are given the task. Why?

This is not the time or the place to judge other’s faith. As long as they have breath in their bodies, God is drawing them to Himself. Some believers specialize in policing the boundaries and making sure everyone behaves themselves in order to protect the church’s reputation. But, are we winning people to Churchianity or to Christ?

Jesus and most of the religious leaders of his time were not bosom buddies by any sense of the word. They were constantly at odds. They challenged each other at every turn. These leaders spent their days with their noses stuck in scrolls when the Truth was standing right in front of them. People who have it all figured out don’t need Jesus.

But, Jesus didn’t give up on them -- just like He doesn’t give up on anyone. In fact, some of the religious leaders became His disciples and joined God’s kingdom. Jesus said they possessed both new treasures as well as old ones.

Who are you ready to cut loose from your life? Who are you tempted to leave in the chum pile? When it comes to the Church are you looking for people who will fit in and keep the party line? Are you hoping others will act more Christianly or are you praying for God to transform their lives?

People outside of God’s Kingdom can’t live lives pleasing to God. It’s humanly impossible. It requires a level of perfection that human beings lack. But, God’s power can take the most self-righteous person and dramatically transform them into a child of God.

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Are You All In?

By Allen White

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

I don’t gamble. But, once in a while I will watch high stakes poker games on TV. Poker is part strategy, part psychology, and part dumb luck. Not very often, but every once in a while, a player gets a hand that can’t be beat. They go “all in.” They bet the farm, if they own one.

In both of these comparisons, Jesus challenges those who follow Him to go all in. Just like someone who discovered a valuable treasure or pearl would sell everything to purchase such a prize, Jesus calls us to offer all that we have, personally or materially, to follow Him. God’s kingdom is worth betting the farm.

Now, I have to admit I’ve always struggled with the first example. The man finds the treasure, hides the treasure, then purchases the field. Shouldn’t some sort of disclosure be involved?

Jesus Christ didn’t encourage anyone to commit fraud. We must assume the law of the land allowed for this type of transaction. Their culture, obviously, was not nearly as litigious as ours. What’s found in the field stays in the field.

What does it mean to hock everything of value to secure one priceless treasure? Jesus says the treasure is the kingdom of heaven -- something of greater value than Granny’s vase on Antiques Roadshow. But, have we gone “all in” on the kingdom of God?

At this point in my life, I’m worth more dead than alive financially. I’m not complaining. It’s just a fact.

Every month I pay an insurance premium that is only a hundredth of a percent of my policy’s value should I graduate to glory. In that event, my family would be provided for, and I could rest in peace.

All I have to put up to secure my family’s financial future in the event of my passing is a token of the policy’s value. If I paid my premium every month for the full length of the 30 year policy, I will have only paid about 3.5 percent of the policy’s value. In actual dollars, I haven’t invested that much.

It’s a bet. The life insurance company is betting I’ll live beyond the life of my insurance policy. I’m certainly not “all in” with this financially. But, in order for anyone to collect, I would have to go “all in” physically.

In this day and age, people wouldn’t put up all of their assets for a pearl or a hidden treasure. They would take out a loan. They would leverage the potential value. They would make easy monthly payments. The problem is the kingdom of God can’t be acquired on credit, yet some of us are negotiating a layaway plan.

So, what are we supposed to do? Should we sell everything we have and move into a Christian commune that might turn into some sort of reality show? Certainly not. The kingdom of God has more to do with possessing us rather than possessing our assets.

The hard question asks: What is more valuable in our lives than God’s kingdom? Not just the things we write a check for, but where do we devote our time and energy? What causes us to jump out of bed?

God put us on this earth to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Somebody wrote a book about that. God’s purpose for your life is not a mystery. What do you love to do? What bothers you the most? What can you do about it? The answers to these questions will point to your purpose.

When you discover your kingdom purpose, you will easily cash in poor investments and go all in on what God designed you to do. That may be hard to believe, but maybe you have yet to discover the best thing you’ve ever done.

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Most Read Post of All Time (So Far): Emotions Are So Unreasonable

By Allen White

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Matthew 26:36-38

Death is not a normal thing to volunteer for. Jesus spoke of His mission on this earth over and over with His disciples. Jesus knew that the end of His mission would result in death. But, even for our All-Knowing God, Jesus had never personally experienced sin and death. His Divine mission was confronted with a strong human reaction.

Jesus took Peter, James and John, His inner circle, a little further into the garden. He knew that His betrayal would happen sooner rather than later. He asked them to keep watch while He prepared Himself in prayer.

Jesus was overwhelmed. The Son of God, the Master and Creator of the Universe, the Savior of the world was overwhelmed. And, He should have been.

Emotions are just so unreasonable. Our emotions motivate us toward things that defy our logic. Some of us were even taught that emotions were scary or bad or both. But, emotion is a part of who we are.

No one should feel okay at a loved one’s funeral. We should grieve. Everyone should feel overwhelming joy and excitement on their wedding day. And, there are days when the circumstances of our life are completely overwhelming. There’s only one place to go on those days.

Jesus, being fully human and also fully God, was overwhelmed. With His disciples keeping watch, He chose to go by Himself and to connect with the Father. No person would understand His plight. No amount of ranting and raving would cure what ailed Him that day. Only a connection with the One who completely understood Him and His circumstance would help.

Where do you go when you are overwhelmed? Do you escape into a bad habit? Do you go to bed? Do you go ballistic? There is only One Person in your life that can take what you’re dealing with, and it’s also the only Person who will fully understand – your Heavenly Father.

God is not surprised by your circumstance. God wired you to feel what you feel. When you are completely overwhelmed, He completely understands.

What are you feeling overwhelmed by today? It’s time to get alone with the One who understands.

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