Devotions
Israel’s rich and powerful merchants and leaders despised God’s rest, they could not wait to get past the Sabbath so they could continue with their unjust and deceptive business practices. God’s response to them was: “I will expel you from my kingdom. Not because I want to, but because you want to live unjust, unforgiven, and God-forsaking lives.” There are severe consequences for ignoring God’s call to rest.
The feeding of the 5,000 is a story we know well. We are inspired by this miracle when we are caught in worries of scarcity. This miracle reminds us that Jesus will provide. Yet, while we focus on his impactful teaching and miraculous feeding of the crowd, it is easy to gloss over the thing that makes it possible: rest.
In reading this story, what do you notice?
If you have ever said, “Yes!” to the call of God upon your life, you know that, that is only the beginning of the journey. The path from here to there is often filled with the unexpected; with the extra details that God didn’t reveal to you at the beginning for fear that you would run. Truthfully speaking, the work of the ministry, though fulfilling, is often hard and lonely. In fact, expect it to be so, for God promised both blessings and persecutions (Mark 10:30) to all who follow him.
