Tag: joy

  • The ripple effect of a simple act of love

    Faith in action

    The ripple effect -Concentric ripples spreading across a clear, shallow stream over smooth brown and gray pebbles, with green trees and sky reflected on the water.

    I love to throw stones into water. When I’m sitting beside a body of water, I enjoy tossing a rock in and watching the ripples spread. Sometimes I toss in one rock and then another nearby so I can see how the ripples change when they intersect. It’s fascinating to see how far the effects of a simple action can travel.

    We never know who or where our Christian faith walk and testimony will reach. It could reach people we’ve never met through the ripple effect. I’m reminded of an old shampoo commercial that said, “We told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on.”

    A smile. A kind word. An act of forgiveness and love can reach people you might never encounter. That’s why Jesus compared the kingdom to a mustard seed.

    He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:31-33 ESV

    The grain of mustard or a single yeast cell can multiply in ways far beyond what we can imagine. The ripple effect travels farther than we might know and intersects or rebounds in ways we don’t anticipate.

    It’s why we are called to love one another and love our neighbor as ourselves. It’s why the Bible calls us to treat strangers with hospitality. The smallest act of love and obedience might produce a harvest beyond our comprehension.

    It’s a simple truth that we don’t often consider.

    Let’s walk together in obedience, love and compassion. When we do, God is glorified in ways that transcend our simple steps.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Like a ripple on the water, a small act of love can reach people we may never meet. When we walk together in obedience, love and compassion, God is glorified in ways that transcend our small steps.

    TAKEAWAY

    A smile, a kind word, or an act of forgiveness and love can ripple out to people we might never meet.

    We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves and treat strangers with hospitality. 

    The smallest act of love and obedience might produce a harvest beyond our comprehension.

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  • Sheep without a Shepherd

    Missing the Messiah

    Flock of sheep lying down in deep green grass

    I was reading a familiar story in Mark’s gospel. It’s the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, something I’ve read more times than I can remember. This time the Holy Spirit grabbed my attention and highlighted something. I’m always amazed when the Spirit illuminates something like that.

    Jesus feeds the 5000 men (plus women and children), a passage so familiar to most of us that we skim-read it.

    The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii7 worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. Mark 6:30-44 ESV

    Notice something: they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus had them sit on the green grass and fed them. It’s the language of Psalm 23.

    The crowd didn’t understand, but Jesus was taking the familiar language of David’s messianic Psalm and living it out amongst them. The Lord, the shepherd, was standing there among them on the green grass and prepared a table before them.

    Perhaps 20,000 people of all ages saw the meal and hungered for it, but they missed the Messiah standing among them.

    We could condemn them for being so blind, but I have to wonder how many times God has worked something in our lives that is plainly obvious, but we have missed Him. Probably more often than we would care to admit.

    The Lord is working around us every day. Pause to watch and give him the glory He is due.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Jesus fed the crowd on the green grass as the Shepherd of Psalm 23, but they missed the Messiah standing among them. The Lord is working around us every day too, so let’s pause to watch and give Him the glory He is due.

    TAKEAWAY

    Don’t skim-read the familiar stories. You may have read a passage more times than you can remember, and the Holy Spirit can still grab your attention and show you something new in it.

    Look past the meal to the Shepherd. Jesus sat a crowd that was like sheep without a shepherd on the green grass and fed them. He was living out Psalm 23 right in front of them. They saw the meal and hungered for it, but they missed the Messiah standing among them.

    Before you condemn the crowd, ask how often you’ve missed Him. God has probably worked plainly obvious things in your life that you missed. The Lord is working around you every day, so pause to watch and give Him the glory He is due.

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