Tues.’s Devo - Devine Provision

Read Luke 9:1-11 Jesus had demonstrated healing, deliverance, preaching the kingdom, and even raising from the dead to his disciples. It was now time to commission them and send them out to do the same. He condensed it all down to giving them power and authority over ALL devils and the power to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Then he gave them a few rules of the kingdom: you will need to have nothing with you: no rod, no script, no bread, no money, no extra coat. So what does that look like to us? When we go out to do ministry we are not to be concerned with whether we have a name or position which would stand for the rod. We don’t have to worry about what we are to say. The Holy Spirit will fill our mouth with the right words. We are not to worry about what we will do for food or whether we can afford this ministry. Last of all we are not to worry about preparing for the future. God will provide everything. So they set out preaching and we never hear of them lacking anything. In fact, news of all they were doing made it to Herod, the tetrarch and he was so confused and shocked he thought surely John the Baptist had risen from the grave. He wanted to talk to this Jesus. Others thought that Elijah had come back, and others thought another prophet had risen from the dead. Jesus met back with his disciples and heard their wonderful stories. He took them out of the public to a place they could hide away for a while called Bethsaida. Bethsaida means “house of provision; house of hunting”. To Jesus and the disciples it was a place of provision where they had everything they needed; to the people it was a place of hunting where they were looking for them. They did find them and flocked there to hear his message and be healed by him. Lord, you take away all our excuses of not going out to do your will. You are our provider and we put our trust in you.