JoanG

The devil had told Jesus that he would make Jesus ruler of the world if Jesus would bow down to him. This went against the will and plan of the Father. We would not have been saved. There would have been a war and there would have been just as much sin if not more to keep us separated from God. We need to follow our own plans and dreams. We need to be able to listen to God and to follow the path that he puts us on not the path that others think we have to follow for their own goals and ideas. We can not let other people live their lives through us.

Jesus was showing the disciples that God will abundantly supply to meet the needs of people. God does not skimp when he is showering grace and blessings upon those that he calls children. Nothing should be wasted. We need to be great stewards with all that is given to us. We need to be grateful for all that we are given.

Jesus kept breaking the fish and the loaves of break into pieces. As he did this, he gave it to the disciples to give to the groups of people. The baskets were used to deliver the food. The bread and fish seemed to keep the baskets full as the contents were taken out. I believe that the disciples were actually shocked and confused at first, but then I am sure that they became joyful and held the whole event in total awe. They probably were praising God as they went around the crowd and spread the word of the miracle.

Jesus realized that a crowd this size could and would cause chaos by rushing forward pushing and shoving each other. The disciples were to make sure that the people were in groups of fifty to make the distribution go smoother. Jesus knew what he was going to do and he knew what was going to happen. By making the disciples work, they would hopefully see the hand of God reach down and bless them and this miracle. They believed in Jesus and they were willing to follow all of his instructions. They were working in faith. I believe that even though they had their doubts, they trusted in the Lord. You need to work as if the miracle already took place. You need to believe. I believe that a few people might be ready to see a miracle. But I also feel that most people would never agree that it happened. And I am sure that there might even be a few that would try to take credit for the miracle.

Jesus wants to show his followers how easy it is to look for God for answers and help. God has told us countless times that he will provide for our needs. Jesus has taught that we are the greatest creatures that the Father has made. God makes sure that the birds and animals have food. Why would God not do the same for humans. This story just goes to prove, how faith and prayer can work a miracle in someone's life.

We as humans make a lot of mistakes on a daily basis. We need to be forgiven for a lot of things that we do not even realize that we are doing. God made it very clear, if we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven. He will treat us as we treat others. God will not bless our lives if we do not allow ourselves to forgive as much as Christ did. he asked the Father to forgive the people that killed him.

A lot of people feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness. We want to be strong. We want to be better than anyone else. We feel that we can do things better than God. We feel that God is only a person that is there on Sundays in a building. We close him out of our daily lives. Many people say this prayer out of habit. They do not really think about the words or the meanings of those words.

We are asking God to allow earth to be like heaven. We want to be in a very peaceful and holy place. We realize that the Father's will is the ultimate action that humans can accomplish. We want to have all the honor and glory here that is in heaven. We should try to live our lives in a very holy way. Christ should be our only example of how to live. We should give up all earthly ways immediately. We should be above any and all types of judgment.

Jesus has make it known that he does not do anything without the Father. All of his power and wisdom comes from God. His actions are ruled by the job that the Father has for him to do. In reality, I do not feel that I am concerned about the American culture for approval of my life style. I do not believe in the materialistic ways that most people live.. I look at the fact that as long as I have a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes on my back, I am doing good. I feel that God has graced me with internal peace now that I am grateful for what I have and I no longer look to have the best of everything. I feel that God is at the center of my life. I feel that I am doing what he wants me to do. I feel that I am finally able to hear his voice in my heart and soul.

Spiritual gifts are given to us from the Father when we accept our salvation from Christ. The spiritual gift is fed and nurtured with the help of the Holy Spirit. I feel that natural talents are actually gifts from God to help us achieve the goals that he has set up for us. I do not feel that there is a difference between spiritual gift and natural gift except maybe the work that is used to describe them.

We must expend a great deal of energy on Christian unity. We must work to keep love between all of us. We cannot allow petty arguments to divide the true believers. We must work in love and patience as Christ has taught us to do. The bond of peace is love. Love will keep all things working together in harmony. There can not be peace if people are always arguing or belittling each other. There must be a central connection on which we can work together. We will destroy everything because of not getting along. We will cause people to walk away where they can find more peace, love and understanding.

When we humble ourselves and view everyone as equal, we realize that we can be more patient with those around us. We realize that we all have faults and we all make mistakes. And we are able to be more patient with each other. The love of Christ is lost when we do not act as we should as Christ like followers. When we put ourselves above others, we are actually acting mere in a self- centered, worldly way. As disciples of Christ, we are to share the word with others in a very loving and caring way. We are not to act as judge and jury against anyone. We are to teach others about the right way to be by setting examples. We need to talk in very loving and guiding ways. We are not to belittle anyone.

We are to live a life that shows our true being. We need to be and act as faithful followers of Christ. We are to live above normal standards of character. We need to shine with the love of Christ radiating from us. We need to live honestly and positively. God has plans for each of us. He puts on paths to accomplish the goals that he has for us. He graces us with the Holy Spirit to help us find our strengths and weaknesses.

I believe that Jesus had a sense of humor. I believe that we do not hear enough about those personal moments between him and his 12 closest friends. The point of the joke is that tomorrow never comes. It is always tomorrow. It is in a realm all of its own. Live for the day. Seize the moment. Be the best that you can be right now for this is what really matters. This is where we can make or break our lives.

Seek the kingdom of God and righteousness. We must work to find God here on earth. We must find the connection to the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. We must learn to hear the voice of God in our thoughts and hearts. God is to be our ultimate quest. We are to work to know him. We are to do the work on our path to honor him. Once we make God the center of our life. God will make sure that we have clothes, food and shelter are we need. Our works will be rewarded with our needs being supplied. We will not have to waste our time or energy by worrying over the basics.

I feel that Jesus was trying to make a distinction between those that follow and believe in the one true God and those that do not. We should not have to seek after things that the Father is able to give us. We have someone that is very willing to give us what we need. We just need to be able to hand over control of our lives to him. We just need to trust him and to honor and praise him. And to follow the paths that he puts us on. And he will supply all that we need. Maybe I have finally matured in my spirituality. I find myself asking if I really need something or if I just want it. I find that I no longer stress over money issues all the time. I know that God will help me pay my bills and help me to use my money more wisely. I have cut back on extravagant spending and I feel better about myself. I no longer have to pressure of keeping up with the Jones.

I have counted 6 times. I will say that worry and trust are exact opposites. If we trust in someone we do not need to worry about anything that concerns them. We know that they will come through no matter what. I feel that we do not give enough trust to God to supply our needs. By not trusting God, we are giving into sin. We are turning our backs on God and taking a worldly view of all that we need or want. We are putting material objects before our trust in God.

To me the main point of the parables is that God will take care of all of his creations. God will supply what we need, not necessarily what we want. Once we learn to have true faith in the Father, God will supply all. This is not a down play on reality, it is a step that needs to be taken to get into spirituality. We were not created to constantly worry. We were not created to constantly be in need. We were created to live full lives that are a true honor and glory to the Father. We were created to be in unity with our fellow men to praise the Father and to show the love of Christ to all of the Father's creations.

By hurting the church a person is hurting the new chosen people of Christ. They are causing a hurt that can go into the sould of the person. they are breaking on of the greatest commandments that Jesus himself taught. To love others as we love ourselves. For these reasons, I do believe that God will deal harshly with these individuals. I feel that there needs to be open communication in all congregations. Every person has a right to be heard. However, I feel that there needs to be a ruling body that can put a stop to all of these rebels doing harm to the whole of the church. However, I do know that I am giving people too much credit to do things fairly and this does not happen in too many incidents. I have seen a congregation torn apart by egos with money. And no matter how much logic was presented to the wrongful acts, they just do not wake up to reality. I truly believe that we need to keep God in all of our decisions. We need to go to him in prayer at all times.

I feel that a congregation needs to be built on love, and the word of God. Their needs to be very positive training. People need to feel that their spiritual growth will be nurtured and cared for. Their gifts and talents will not go to waste. Every person needs to feel needed., cared for and cherished for who they are. they need to have a safe place to grow and they need people to help them grow. We need to stress the true word of God. We cannot become bogged down by lack of understanding. The word of God is not just words, it has to be our guide book. we have to be willing to convert our lives to follow the examples of Christ. At all costs, we have to look to God for the answers. We cannot allow our egos to take over. There must be true faith in God supplying us with all that we will need.

Denominations cause people of like ways to bond with each other. It gives them a place to share common ideas and common interests as far as Christianity is concerned. They can come together as one to make outreach work. However, they cause people to think less about other denominations. They bicker about form and style of worship. Even different congregations within the same denomination see to view each other with distain. I do not have the answers to unite people into realizing that we all worship the same God. We all read the same bible. We all are taught the same words. they just don't seem to get it. But maybe, I can try to talk to one person at a time.

I would say that I starve for the word. I need to be able to either read the bible or continue to study on a daily basis. I long to find someone to discuss all my thoughts and ideas with. I need to be able to start to share what I am learning with people that are really interested in listening. I find that I am critical of people that are being false to the word. They treat the church like a corporation. They refuse to think that there is another way. I find that I no longer want to go with the status quo, but I want to share my enthusiasm for the word. I feel that I am entering into the next stage by setting the goal of doing all of these studies in the Jesus walk series.

Scriptures should be our reference book to the teaching of God and Jesus. It should give us examples of how to live. Not be the only thing we read in the hope to have salvations. There are a lot of people that are book smart. They can read and comprehend, but they do not live what they learn. They have no common sense on how to relate what they read to how they are suppose to live. We need to bring the bible to life. We need to be the words. Our actions need to scream the message for the world to see. We need to keep to the heart of the word.

Miracles are a sign that God is still alive and among us. They help people see and feel him deep inside of their souls. It awakens them to the belief that God exists and they convert to him. When a person needs to have miracles to believe they have a faith that is not true. They can not see past the present moment. I believe that miracles are still happening today but people are closed off to them. They look for other explanations. I do not believe that people really talk about their personal experiences with miracles unless they are asked. I find that people do not really share things in their lives. A lot of people seem to be introverts at times especially when sharing personal information.

If we speak and act I love and honesty, we are showing our respect and honor to God. we are acting in the way that God wants and expects us to do. When we curse, or show hatred we are actually belittling the name of God. We need to pray to the Father with love and honor. We need to give praise and glory for all he does for us.