Today Our Daily Bread Mark 8 & 2 Cor 2:14

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

Mark 8

Feeding the Four Thousand

1 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. 7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. 8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. 9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, 10 immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

The Pharisees Seek a Sign
11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples[a] had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “ It is because we have no bread.” 17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still[b] hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” 21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida
22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”[c]

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” 28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Footnotes:
a. Mark 8:14 NU-Text and M-Text read they.
b. Mark 8:17 NU-Text omits still.
c. Mark 8:26 NU-Text reads "Do not even go into the town."

~Lena’s Journalin’~
Do we have compassion on people as Jesus did? I’m not speaking of sympathy, which is pity on the situation that a person is in. I’m talking about seeing needs and having or being answers to the roots of their needs. I mean satisfying them with enough to keep them following Him, bit by bit, step by step.
Compassion is defined- as seeing a need with extreme desire and movement towards meeting the need.
Anyway, they’d been with Him for this part of His journey, they’d become hungry, without provision, their hunger would have caused them to become weakened. They had come this far on their journey, who knows maybe some were just about to receive Him, maybe some were made to be there by others who brought them, but they were hearing the word for the first time. I’m sure all were at different places in their walk either towards or of faith.
What do you have? Do you have anything at all? Any love? Any joy? Any word? Any substance to your own faith? Any testimony at all?Anything to give thanks to God and people for? Any knowledge of Him? Any positive influence? What do you have? No, I did not say what don’t you have- what do you have?
There are scriptures that reference the Word of God as bread. Jesus is the word made flesh and he is the bread of Life. There are other scriptures that reference fish as being people who do not yet believe in and lovingly serve Jesus as their new Life Lord, it also speaks of the meat as doing the will of God.
So Jesus asked what word do you have? And how much can you do? The disciple answered- 7 loaves and a few small fish (“small” being emphasized by the disciple, but “small” having no bearing on the outcome to Jesus). I our culture a few is about 3.
So he had a perfect amount of the word to reach these people, or at least seed them with enough truth to satisfy them for today, and there were enough unsaved people there to be able to accomplish the will of God in that place using the word with thankfulness! (7= complete perfection, 3=God- Father, Son & Holy Spirit, meat= the will of God being acted out)
Have you brought anyone to the Lord, to be fed by Him? To be blessed and satisfied by Him? When we do, that is when and where the miraculous will happen!
It is not about our lack and so we have NO excuse, none. It is about His strength in the weakness that we are.
I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me! (Phil 4:13), the key is doing something, no matter how “small”- just do it!
The Pharasees must not have gotten the daily newsletters yet, a sign? What was the feeding that day? A sign! A wonder! A holy convention under an open heaven unto God.
This is the part I believe Jesus was emphasizing to disciples- Why do you try to do the will of God in your own strength? Why when I give you instruction again and again, the very same words, you take them as suggestions, not seeing ahead, not discerning the times and the urgency of what God wants to have us used and prepared for the use of? We, as disciples must have bread with us at all times. The leftovers were for us, for us to have more bread, to take with us wherever we go, to have enough to be available to feed others and meat to feed – God! What? Feed God? Yes, feed God! Satisfy God, in that His will is able to be accomplished through us in the earth, that through us a mission and a goal He has is being able to be accomplished! He can go on from here through a mighty assembled army of God’s will –doers!
For years our Pastor has been asking us as a church to read Daily Bread together and to disciples he’s asked us to take it a step further and write what God shows you. Now God is calling us as a church to go deeper, take it one step further (get in the boat and cross over), but we can’t all go, because we are not all taking bread. We desire the Lord’s miraculous works, and He desires them to be worked through our hands, and if we’d done as He’d asked and taken bread, the miracles would be here- today!
Let’s purpose to obey, make quick adjustments so we can all GO…..(on the boat to the otherside).
Our daughter recently told me that the Lord showed her to adjust quickly, he actually told her that while she was thinking it out and sorting it through, the Lord told her she’d missed it already. It was a sort of example instructive picture he was painting for her. He told her the time is short for conforming to Hs will and if she did not listen and obey His words quickly she’d struggle at the next place he was taking her to. He said, he needed her to get this part so they could go on to the next part, laying a foundation of sorts to build on.
There’s so much to do. I feel there’s even more because of all who take so long to think about doing it, rationalizing it out, weighing it in the balance of life and then planning when. That is not how faith or trust responds!
This will be evidenced in action when men see. When their eyes are truly opened to the will of God. Once you see, once you hear the voice, there are no other options or excuses, at all. Life becomes quickly prioritized, ducks get in rows.
When we get the revelation of who he is, we will see who we are and what we are here for and where we are going in life. We’ll not be able to get enough bread, never enough, because there’s so much to Give. YOU ARE the CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING God, who gave up everything and every position given by who You were and came down to earth to save man, men like us! WOW. When they saw who He was he could tell them what He’d come for and where He was going and why.
Are we thinking, responding, reacting with the actions of mere men, who do not see God and know His purposes? Or like men who see and know God and His purposes?
One must give His life for the gospel’s sake. I’m not speaking of martyrdom. I’m speaking of laying down worldly earthly plans that have nothing to do with doing or being god’s will and answer to a lost and dying world, who will go to hell if we do not all step out and share Jesus continually.
If each one of us, who call ourselves Christians led and discipled one person in the Lord this year, we would only save ¼ th of the world’s population, but that would be a great start, 100% better than most of us did last year or even over 10, 20 30, 40 + years! What if we did this each year for the rest of our lives and then taught our children and grandchildren to do the same? Guess what? We’d save the world. Did not Jesus come to seek and save the lost? How will He do that now? Through us and only through us, we ARE the answer to this world. Now do you see, how when one member struggles to get this and eat bread and be bread the others members suffer? Who really suffers our lack of response or our excuses? The world does. Dear God help us to obey You, to lay down our desires, plans, hesitancies, fears, stubborn pride, etc. You said if anyone will do this he will find You. I’ve met You, but have I found You? Am I truly called by Your name? If I was truly married to You and Your will I’d do the covenant acts You’ve asked me to do. Your name would be proudly worn on my life. If called by Your name, I’ll be who You are, act as You act, do what You do. You laid down Your life, for the world. Go and do, as I have done, says the Lord! Start at home, then at work also, begin in your neighborhood, take your obedience to the streets! Be a light!


(daily repetitive verse)
2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.