"Don't load yourselves up with equipment." ~~Jesus

Jesus has powerful but simple things He wants us to do. We don't need a lot of equipment to complete His mission today. He will supply us everything we need. He does His work through us. We are the equipment.

This is hard to keep in mind. In our world, we think the more we have, the better the buildings, the better off we are. In God's World (Kingdom), He doesn't need our equipment. He is God. He can do anything and takes pleasure in turning water in wine. I think it may even amuse Him to confound us. Just saying!!

"Don't load yourselves up with equipment." ~~Jesus (Luke 9 The Message)

"Self-help is no help at all." ~~Jesus

God knows us. He knows that we miss His goal for our lives.

Jesus challenges us to face up to the fact that "we can't fix ourselves". He can transform us into new creatures. He shows us how to be born a second time to a new life.

Jesus came to show us the way. Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth. He alone is life.

There is no "self-help". There is only "God-help". May I live that way today.

"Self-help is no help at all." ~~Jesus (Luke 9:25 The Message)

"Keep it simple; you are the equipment." ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us to not get wrapped up in all "stuff" that keeps us from fulfilling His mission for us. He sent His 12 disciples out to proclaim the good news of God's World (Kingdom). He told them to not take any equipment with them.

In God's World, we are the equipment that He uses to reach others. He is radically transforming our lives and that is what people see. People are longing to see the power of God, not the paltry equipment of the failed churches that we build.

We must keep it simple and not forget what transforms us all. It is Jesus not the buildings.

"Keep it simple; you are the equipment." ~~Jesus (Luke 9:3 The Message)

"You're not in the driver's seat—I am." ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us to live life with Him in charge. Now that is tough because we all like to be in control. We may pretend we don't but we know it is true. Jesus knows it is true. We can't fake it with Him. He knows us down to our core.

So ... He looks us in the eye, pauses and says ...

"You're not in the driver's seat—I am." ~~Jesus (Luke 9:24 The Message)

"You feed them." ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us. It had been a long day. It was beginning to get late. His disciples came to him and said to Jesus, "Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We're out in the middle of nowhere." You feed them, he challenged them. They came to him with a problem and a simple solution. They knew they couldn't feed them because there were close to 5,000 men and there was no food. No one was prepared to be there so long with Jesus.

They also should have known that God can provide food when there is none. They had been around Jesus long enough to know this. Our faithless solutions don't allow God to shine through.

And so ... Jesus challenges us to seek God first, don't depend on our own solutions even when we have one and let Him shine through.

"You feed them," Jesus said. (Luke 9:13)