ACTS: A Way to Live
The Gospel of Luke—Lent 2022
Read Luke 9: 10-17
Focus Verses—Luke 9: 12-13
“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.” He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
ACTion for Reflection: Giving What You Have
I love this story very much. In fact, this is one of a couple of Bible stories that led to my word for 2022, "abundance." Last Fall, I did a study in the book of John. In back to back stories of Jesus' miracles, I noticed that the humans in the story thought, planned, and worried with a scarcity mindset. Jesus, however, never operated with a mindset of scarcity. He operated in and with abundance.
Jesus and the disciples tried to get away from the crowds to rest. The crowds followed them, though, and they needed to eat. Jesus' disciples looked at the crowd compared to their resources and asked Jesus to send the crowd away. They could not see a way to feed so many people with so little resources. A scarcity mindset will cause us to panic, to hoard, to send people away rather than draw them in.
Jesus didn't panic, and He certainly wasn't going to send anyone away. He simply told the disciples to bring what they had. Even the smallest amount of resources handed over to Jesus is multiplied. At the beginning of the story, the disciples we agonizing over what they didn't have. At the end of the story, they were picking up baskets full of leftovers.
What about you? Are you driven by a scarcity mindset or do you live with the awareness of Christ's abundance? Today, let's ask Jesus to give us His eyes in every situation. Let's give Him our moments and give like our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, because the Bible says that He does. (Psalm 50:10)
ACTion to Live Out: Give what you have
An idea for today is to make something with ingredients you already have in your pantry or refrigerator/freezer and give it away. Make something with love and watch it multiply.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for teaching us how to live! After we daily reflect on your life-giving words, help us to then, through your Spirit, get up and ACT. Give us hearts of compassion, hands of generosity, and feet that take your good news to the world. What an honor it is to be your image bearer. Amen.
