Luke 9:1-27

Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with the power to preach the gospel and to heal people. They went off and did as they were commanded, preaching and healing wherever they went.

When Jesus commissions you to do something, He also gives you the power to do it. He didn't just tell the disciples to go and preach and heal, He gave them the power to heal and to cast out demons. As Christians, we can come to Jesus for whatever we need to do the work He has for us. How exciting that we have that direct line to the source of all power. We don't have to rely on our own power (which is never enough) once we learn to depend on Jesus.


When the disciples came back, Jesus tried to go away to a secluded place with them, but a crowd followed them and Jesus decided to teach and heal them. Once it started getting late, the disciples wanted to send the people away so they could get food, but Jesus fed the entire crowd of over 5,000 with only five small loaves of bread and two fish. When everyone had had their fill, twelve baskets full of leftover bread were collected.

God's abundance never runs out. When you think you've seen all God has to give, He's only getting started. This doesn't apply solely to material things, but to intangibles like strength, courage, grace and forgiveness. God can take a little and make a whole lot out of it. And why not? He made the whole world out of nothing at all! Give him whatever you have and see what He makes with it.


Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was. They answered, John the Baptist or one of the old prophets. He then turned the question to a more personal level asking who they said He was. Peter answered that Jesus was the Christ. With that, He told them not to tell that to anyone until He had suffered, died, and risen again. He also said that whoever wanted to follow Him would have to put their own personal interests aside and be ready for a rough road to come.

Following Christ isn't easy, but if we believe He is who He said He was, we need to do what He told us to do. We each need to pick up our cross on a daily basis and consciously choose to follow Him. Each day when you get up, tell Jesus, "Today, I choose to follow You." It's not an easy decision. Following Jesus doesn't mean that everything is going to be perfect in our lives - Jesus promised just the opposite. The difference is that with Jesus, we can handle whatever comes our way.