"We have here only five loaves and two fish." (Matt. 14:17)
How do you suppose Jesus felt about the basket inventory? Any chance he might have wanted them to include the rest of the possibilities? Involve all the options? Do you think he was hoping someone might count to eight?
"Well, let's see. We have five loaves, two fish...and Jesus!" Jesus Christ. The same Jesus who told us:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Luke 11:19 NIV)
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (John 15:7 NIV)
What ever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24 NIV)
Standing next to the disciples was the solution to their problems...but they didn't go to him. They stopped their count at seven and worried.
What about you? Are you counting to seven, or to eight?
Here are eight worry stoppers to expand your tally:
Pray, first. "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him...(I Peter 5:7 AMP)
Easy now. Slow down. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him (Ps. 37:7).
Act on it. The moment a concern surfaces, deal with it. Don't dwell on it. Head off worries before they get the best of you. Be a doer, not a stewer.
Compile a worry list. Over a period of days record your anxious thoughts. Then review them. How many of them turned into a reality?
Evaluate your worry categories. Detect recurring areas of preoccupation that may become obsessions. Pray specifically about them.
Focus on today. God meets daily needs daily. He will give you what you need when it is needed.
Unleash a worry army. Share your feelings with a few loved ones. Ask them to pray with and for you.
Let God be enough. "Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matt. 6:32-33 NLT).
Eight steps. Pray, first. Easy, now. Act on it. Compile a worry list.Evaluate your worry categories. Focus on today. Unleash a worry army. Let God be enough.
P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L
by Max Lucado
FRIENDS:
Father, We give thanks to You and we trust you and we feed on the truth. We know when we ask you will meet our needs, not our desires and for this we are thankful as Your understanding of our needs may be different from ours. We know you will supply us according to Your riches. We trust in You, Lord, and we look upon your supply with gratitude. In Jesus' name, Amen.
DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE
9. LUKE 16:1-9; 1 TIMOTHY 6:1-10; PROVERBS 9; NEHEMIAH 1-2
10. LUKE 16:10-18; I TIMOTHY 6:11-21; PROVERBS 10:1-16; NEHEMIAH 3
~ 2 Timothy~
I have kept the faith.
They have taken everything else. They have taken his freedom--he's locked in a Roman prison. They have taken his possessions--he hasn't even a shawl to keep him warm. They have taken his churches--he will not see them again. They have taken his future--he is sentenced to die.
What do you have left, Paul? What do you have left to show for your life? Had you stayed a Jew in Jerusalem, you'd have a seat of status and a house of retirement. Had you been more compromising, you might have gone unnoticed by the Romans. Had you been less passionate, you might have pastored a church and stayed in one city. But you were too convinced to compromise--too convicted to stay home.
And now, with the end in sight, with the verdict rendered and the end in sight, what do you have left?
The old apostle leans forward with eyes twinkling and says, I have kept the faith.
That was the heart of the apostle. And that is the heart of this Epistle. As far as we know, this is the last one he ever wrote. Paul picks up his pen one final time. He knows the end is near, "I am being poured out like a drink offering," he tells Timothy, his son in the faith.
But he has no regrets, only counsel--practical, inspirational counsel for young Timothy, who has been left to lead the church in Ephesus. His tenderness for the young minister peeks out from behind every word. "Make every effort," he urges, "to give your self to God as the kind of person he will accept. Be a worker who is not ashamed and who uses the true teaching in the right way" (2:15).
Timothy never had another teacher like Paul. The world has never had another teacher like Paul. He was convinced of two facts--he was once lost but then saved. He spent a lifetime telling every person who would listen.
In the end it cost him everything. For in the end, all he had was his faith. But in the end, his faith was all he needed.
FOOD:
Baked Doughnuts Recipe
Don't over bake these, if anything, under bake them a bit - they will continue baking outside the oven for a few minutes. You want an interior that is moist and tender - not dry. Also, be sure to cut big enough holes in the center of your doughnuts - too small and they will bake entirely shut. Remember they rise, and they rise even more when they are baking. These really need to be made-to-order, but you can make and shape the dough the night before if you want to serve them for brunch. Instructions: after shaping, place doughnuts on baking sheet, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Pull them out an hour before baking, and let rise in a warm place before baking.
1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided)
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour (alternately, white whole wheat might work - haven't tried it yet)
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.
Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Most people (like myself) don't have a doughnut cutter, instead I use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.
Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.
FUN:
SENIOR BUMPER STICKERS
