
"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
John 15:7
By nature I am an optimist; I really believe just about anything is possible!
God has brought me through too many things for me to believe anything else. I am fascinated every time I board an airplane, recalling the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright, the two brothers who, through their bicycle engineering skills, developed the first airplane to actually take flight in the United States. Because of their quest, millions fly daily in planes weighing more than 100 tons. If you ever stop and really think about the concept of one hundred tons easily and swiftly zipping through the air, it becomes increasingly simple to dismiss the notion of an "impossible task." There's more.
What about your cell phone, Internet, flat screen television, and all those wireless devices, quietly emitting signals, so communication can be instantaneous; it was not that long ago that these things did not exist. In medicine, we can look at the breakthroughs in laser eye surgery, where almost instantaneously, the eye heals itself, allowing the patient to miraculously see without glasses. Not to mention, the human body itself; a vessel God designed so exquisitely that even large quantities of poisons have to work really hard just to kill us. The Bible has already told us, there are no impossible tasks. All things are possible through God. (Matthew 19:26)
All things are possible through God, was the thought I had after reading Mark 6:37. It is where the disciples come to Jesus, asking Him to send the five-thousand people, who had been rapt by His teachings all day, into the villages to buy something to eat. Jesus responds by telling His disciples, “Give ye them to eat.”
It is possible that the disciples, even after being with Jesus for some time, didn't really understand that He wanted them to believe in the power of God as He did. You can’t really blame them for not understanding that they, through their belief in God, could feed the 5000 people who had followed them and stayed to hear the teachings of Jesus.
If it were to happen today, even the most die-hard Christian optimist would still send the multitudes into town to feed themselves. Why would we really believe we have the power to transform the lives of 5000 people? -To actually feed them? I believe the notion of “feeding” is key. When Jesus was admonishing Peter, He asked, “Lovest thou Me?” When Peter replied, Jesus charged him by saying “Feed My sheep.” (John 21:15-17) In our prayers we say, “Our Father which art in heaven ...give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:9-11)
To feed someone is a metaphor for teaching, training, and/ or mentoring, so they can be nourished, full and satisfied. Whether you are getting your Daily Bread through a Bible study class, church sermons, or, reading the Bible on your own under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; as a Christian, Jesus expects for you to be fed and to feed others. He expects for you to know that no task is impossible if you believe in Him.
Impossibility is not a word for God; it should not be a word for us! L.
Study Reference: John 15:5-7
From: "Believing In The Impossible." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
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