February 18, 2016
Solitude and Service
He
welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who
needed healing.— Luke 9:11
Read:
Luke 9:1-2,10-17
Comedian Fred Allen
said, “A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become
well-known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.” Fame often
brings loss of privacy along with a relentless frenzy of attention.
When Jesus began His
public ministry of teaching and healing, He was catapulted into the public eye
and thronged by people seeking help. Crowds followed Him wherever He went. But
Jesus knew that having regular time alone with God was essential to maintaining
strength and perspective.
After Jesus’ twelve
disciples returned from their successful mission “to proclaim the kingdom of
God and to heal the sick,” He took them to a quiet place to rest (Luke 9:2,10).
Soon, however, crowds of people found them and Jesus welcomed them. He “spoke
to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing” (v. 11).
Instead of sending them away to find food, the Lord provided an outdoor picnic
for 5,000! (vv. 12-17).
Jesus was not immune
to the pressure of curious and hurting people, but He maintained the balance of
public service and private solitude by taking time for rest and for prayer
alone with His Father (Luke 5:16).
May we follow our
Lord’s example as we serve others in His name.
Dear Father, as Jesus
Your Son and our Savior honored You in solitude and service to others, may we
follow His example in our lives.
Turning down the
volume of life allows you to listen to God.
INSIGHT:
The miracle of the feeding of the multitude
is recorded in all four gospels (see Matt. 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke
9:10–17; John 6:1–15). Each account provides specific details to help complete
the story. Matthew tells us that the crowd numbered 5,000 men plus women and
children. Mark tells us that the people sat in groups of 50 and 100. Luke
informs us that this event is connected to the disciples’ report of their
outreach trip. John’s account tells us that the food came from a young boy’s
lunch.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2016