Mark 8:1

Mark 8:1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

Exodus 33:14-19 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Today you may be hungry, today you may be thirsty, today you may have come a long distance to find the Lord. He wants you to know that He has compassion for you. He knows you by name, and He will show you his glory. He will cause his goodness to pass in front of you. He will proclaim his name, his holy name, in your presence, and He will have mercy on you. This is the message of the Lord for you this day. It is the message of the Lord for us every day. Sometimes we become so busy with life, so busy with living life that we forget we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, the people of God. He has called us to be his own, adopted us into his family, and now He calls us sons and daughters.

Sometimes even in these breakfasts the messages so often point you outward to your calling and your mission, that we might forget our position in his presence. If we forget that, then we forget from whence comes our strength, the hope of our calling. Moses cried out to the Lord, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord answered him, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Moses knew without that presence, he was lost. So it is with us today. We must continue in God's presence. All else is nothingness and meaninglessness. The psalmist wrote, "In thy presence is fulness of joy." Peter wrote that in Christ we rejoice with "joy unspeakable and full of glory." Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter two that Christ himself is our peace: He is all that we need, and because of his finished work at the cross, we can live by faith with hope and victory in him. In his presence we are fed and we find provision for each day, enough for that day, enough for whatever we will face. But we must spend time with him, walk with him, talk with him, listen to his voice. Many other voices contend for our attention. The poet William Wordsworth wrote that "this world is too much with us," as a complaint against man's rejection of nature and reliance on materialism. Unfortunately, he did not realize that nature will not give us eternal life. Only God can do that. But he was right that materialism robs us of essential being. Only God gives us that.

Today may we pause to remember that Jesus loves us, and He has compassion for us. God has always wanted to walk with his children. He wants to walk with you today, to put his loving arms around you and to give you his fatherly advice and counsel, his encouragement and comfort through the Holy Spirit. If you feel you have failed him, do not draw back, draw closer. He will forgive you and lift you out of that pit of despair. In his presence we will find strength for today. I want to close with a beautiful song of hope: I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121) Love, Mom (Jacqueline) (Sitting in for Dad today)