Monday 1/25/16 Sharing Food

Dear Father in Heaven: I love You, and I thank You for watching over us during the storm. I give thanks that we have plenty of food stored to get us through the storm. Father, our son Matthew really needs Your help. Please, Lord, intervene where he is living. Thanking You, Lord, for watching over him all these years. Today again, Father, I pray for peace, worldwide peace. Please watch over all those still working the storms, those out in the weather day after day. Please, Lord, help me now with a message and then please help me to get it dispatched. In Jesus' Name, I pray and give thanks. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, I do want to give you an update on what is going on here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. First, giving honor and glory to God that Dolores and I are okay as far as the storm is concerned. Like many people, we watched out our windows and prayed a lot for those outside. We were completely trapped in our home for awhile. I did get out on Saturday morning. I got into our Suburban and opened the garage door. I pushed straight out and then backed into the garage, our truck too light to handle this snow. We prayed a lot for those out in the snow, not just those who work in it from our family but all others. I find it hard not being out and part of the "fight," so to speak. I always loved plowing snow, but I also know that a slip and fall outside could be the end. Dolores and I promised each other that we would not do something stupid. Today I just want to talk to you a tad about Sharing Food, so let me get started.

Monday: January 25, 2016: Sharing Food

Brothers and sisters, if you have been following the news about the storm, the headline that was talked about the most was the very large traffic jam on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Big rigs pulling the hills going into one of the tunnels got stuck, jackknifed and blocked traffic. Others passing them got stuck, before long a really bad traffic tie-up and more than likely over a thousand people in that traffic jam. This was my estimate due to the large number of big charter buses stuck in the backlog. Most people did not have a lot of food in their cars and trucks, but some did have some. Here are just a couple of stores that we heard about but not too much.

There were a lot of buses returning from Washington, DC, that were there for a right-to-life rally. I do not know the make-up of all the different religions on the buses, and that does not make a big difference for this. These people are pro-life as we are. While stuck in traffic, they got out of their buses and were helping others. They would also get out and have some short church services. They would sing and play music on their horns. I heard they had trumpets and other instruments. So let me point this out again, you do not need a building to have church, you just need Jesus and people who love Him. AMEN!!! They did some interviews on the news and of course the news people interviewed truck drivers who said they stick together so they would share their food. Some people shared packs of crackers with others. Some shared blankets. They were out there for hours and hours and hours. Once the vehicles were stuck, no trucks could get in to help. The National Guard was called out to help after the fact. Yes, people were humbled. A few people were interviewed after they were home and said the worst part was not knowing when help would come, and of course going to the potty. With all this said, there is scripture that tells us about a time when people needed to eat, and there were over a thousand, in fact the Bible tells us five thousand. Well, let us look at the scripture.

Luke 9:10-17 Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. (NIV)

Let me break from the scripture and just mention this. Jesus welcomed them and healed those who needed healing. Think of that, folks, five thousand people and Jesus healed those who needed healing. Think, folks, that could have been half of them, and those would have all been miracles that are not recorded one at a time as in when Jesus healed the blind eyes, or others that were talked directly about. So keep your faith on the healing also, for JESUS IS STILL IN THE HEALING BUSINESS. Let me get back to Sharing Food.

Luke 9:12 - Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to Him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here." 13 He replied, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish - unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." 14 (About five thousand men were there.) But He said to His disciples "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. (NIV)

Let us take a look at these verses. His disciples wanted to send the people away, but Jesus would have no part of that and told His disciples "you give them something to eat." Of course Jesus knew His disciples did not have enough food to feed all of them, so here comes a faith-building lesson even for His disciples. We need to learn this also, when we travel with Jesus He will take care of us, according to His will for us. And I think that more people than those from the church groups would be praying and maybe coming to Jesus for the first time. Let me ask you folks this, have you ever been out when things went wrong and right there and then you had a "come to Jesus minute"? I have had those more than once, even after coming to Jesus and being saved, I have still had some "come to Jesus minutes" in my life, and the older I get the more of them I have. Let me get back to the scripture.

Luke 9:16 - Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, now we see Jesus has five loaves and two fish but where did they come from? For that we look in the Bible to John 6:9.

John 6:9 - Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (NIV)

I want to bring this part out. Here is a child that has packed a lunch and handed them over to Jesus. One child, who is willing to share his small lunch with others. So we find Jesus again pointing out about children and while Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying the small loaves and two fish, He also showed others about sharing. I know that you people who are like I once was and could wolf down four Whoppers at one setting might think you could not be satisfied with such a small amount of food, but the fact is just this. JESUS WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL OF OUR NEEDS IF WE JUST TRUST HIM. So as you can see, there were a lot of MIRACLES in just these few verses of Scripture. All of them relate to Jesus.

So brothers and sisters, you would not have seen all these things going on, on the Turnpike, if Jesus had not caused the storm in the first place. When you truly walk with Jesus, learn to expect blessings and learn this scripture.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things, God works for the food, of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that light, dear friends, is JESUS CHRIST.

Dear Father in Heaven, thank You for this lesson in sharing, and for pointing out these scriptures in the Bible. I pray that all of us can learn more about Jesus. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Now go forth sharing and loving Jesus. Love ya.

Pastor Dan

Fill My Cup, Lord

Fill my cup, Lord - I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me til I want no more;
Fill my up, fill it up and make me whole!

Fill my cup, Lord - I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me til I want no more;
Fill my up, fill it up and make me whole!