RENEWED BY A LITTLE CAKE
Memorise: And the angel of the LORD came again the
second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is
too great for thee. 1st Kings 19:7
Read:
John 6:5-13, 5 When
Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith
unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he
himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take
a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five
barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now
there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five
thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had
given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that
were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his
disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and
filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which
remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Bible in one year: Genesis 31:1-32:21, 31 And he heard the words of Laban's sons,
saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was
our father's hath he gotten all this glory.
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban,
and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of
thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah
to the field unto his flock,
5 And said unto them, I see your father's
countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath
been with me.
6 And ye know that with all my power I have
served your father.
7 And your father hath deceived me, and
changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.
8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy
wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked
shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.
9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of
your father, and given them to me.
10 And it came to pass at the time that the
cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold,
the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.
11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a
dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and
see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and
grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
13 I am the God of Bethel
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto
him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for
he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.
16 For all the riches which God hath taken
from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God
hath said unto thee, do.
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and
his wives upon camels;
18 And he carried away all his cattle, and
all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had
gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan
19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and
Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.
20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the
Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.
21 So he fled with all that he had; and he
rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead
22 And it was told Laban on the third day
that Jacob was fled.
23 And he took his brethren with him, and
pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead
24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a
dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob
either good or bad.
25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had
pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount
of Gilead .
26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou
done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters,
as captives taken with the sword?
27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly,
and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away
with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?
28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons
and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
29 It is in the power of my hand to do you
hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou
heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be
gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast
thou stolen my gods?
31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban,
Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy
daughters from me.
32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let
him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take
it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.
33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into
Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then
went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put
them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the
tent, but found them not.
35 And she said to her father, Let it not
displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is
upon me. And he searched but found not the images.
36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban:
and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that
thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff,
what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren
and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.
38 This twenty years have I been with thee;
thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock
have I not eaten.
39 That which was torn of beasts I brought
not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether
stolen by day, or stolen by night.
40 Thus I was; in the day the drought
consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy
house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for
thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
42 Except the God of my father, the God of
Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me
away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and
rebuked thee yesternight.
43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob,
These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these
cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this
day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant,
I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for
a pillar.
46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather
stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the
heap.
47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but
Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness
between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
49 And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent
one from another.
50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if
thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is
witness betwixt me and thee.
51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap,
and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee:
52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be
witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not
pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.
53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor,
the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his
father Isaac.
54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the
mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and
tarried all night in the mount.
55 And early in the morning Laban rose up,
and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed,
and returned unto his place.
32 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels
of God met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is
God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to
Esau his brother unto the land of Seir , the country of Edom
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall
ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with
Laban, and stayed there until now:
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and
menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may
find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob,
saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four
hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and
distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and
herds, and the camels, into two bands;
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company,
and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
9 And Jacob said, O God of my father
Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lordwhich saidst unto me, Return unto thy
country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the
mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for
with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of
my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite
me, and the mother with the children.
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee
good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for
multitude.
13 And he lodged there that same night; and
took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he
goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts,
forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his
servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over
before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying,
When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and
whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant
Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind
us.
19 And so commanded he the second, and the
third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak
unto Esau, when ye find him.
20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant
Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth
before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of
me.
21 So went the present over before him: and
himself lodged that night in the company.
John 17:20-18:14; 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may
believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have
given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may
be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and
hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou
hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not
known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name,
and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them,
and I in them.
18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went
forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which
he entered, and his disciples.
2 And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew
the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.
3 Judas then, having received a band of men
and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns
and torches and weapons.
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that
should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?
5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth
6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I
am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye?
And they said, Jesus of Nazareth
8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am
he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which
he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it,
and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's
name was Malchus.
11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy
sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink
it?
12 Then the band and the captain and officers
of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
13 And led him away to Annas first; for he
was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.
14 Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to
the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
MESSAGE
God uses
those who make themselves available for Him. This season, may He find you
available and use you to fulfil His good purpose in Jesus’ Name. In today’s
Bible reading, when Jesus wanted to feed the crowd that came to listen to Him,
there was no food with which to carry out this assignment. His disciples
suggested that the people be sent away to take care of themselves, but the Lord
disagreed and asked them to sit them down. A little boy volunteered his food,
and the Lord used it to feed the crowd. This story is one of the wonders of the
Bible to me. If you give some biscuits, sweets or chocolate to a little boy,
and you then ask him to give you a little out of it, what do you think will
happen? He will most likely put the biscuit or sweet behind his back and give
you a stare that tells you not to come near what is his, especially if he is
hungry. When the boy in our Bible reading left home, his parents packed him
some lunch, but when someone told him that Jesus needed his meal, he
immediately released it. May all our children never hold back from God what He
has provided for them in Jesus’ Name.
Many years
ago, I woke up one morning at the Redemption Camp feeling depressed (believe it
or not, this can happen to any man of God). I had prayed all night, and had
been fasting for days. I asked myself why I was virtually trying to kill myself
praying, fasting and doing night vigils, while the very people I was doing all
these for never cared about me. It was always about them. Each time they saw
me, they would come with requests: “Daddy pray for us”, “Daddy do this” and
“Daddy do that”. Those who were a bit nice would say, “Daddy, make sure you
take some rest, but solve my problem first.” When praying for me, they would
say, “May God preserve you for us.” Why should I kill myself over people who
were only interested in using me to reach their goals? In that state, I slept
off as I laid my head on the table. By the time I woke up, a little girl who
had come with her parents all the way from Victoria Island, Lagos
Prayer Point
Sweet Holy Spirit, comfort all ministers of the gospel
of Jesus Christ who are on the verge of discouragement or depression.
0 Comments
Please drop a comment. God bless you!