Full of years

Help me to train my heart each day,
That it will only sweetness hold;
And as the days and years roll on,
May I keep sweet, as I grow old.

Author unknown

The Lonely Olive Mill

O child of God, are you being crushed
`Neath trial, pain or woe?
No eye to pity, no ear to hear,
No voice to whisper low?

Alone in your Gethsemane,
Christ watches with you there.
He will not suffer one ounce of weight
More than your strength can bear.

He chasteneth but to purify;
He crusheth but to raise;
In love he worketh his blessed will
To his glory’s endless praise.

In our affliction, afflicted still
He leaveth us not alone;
He will not forget, he will not forsake,
He is mindful of his own.

Annie Johnson Flint
(part of the whole poem)

How beautiful the character of our Saviour! Those He loved could not watch with Him one single hour, leaving Him alone in His Gethsemane. But He now watches with His loved ones all the time through their place of oil-press, never leaving them alone.

Give me oil in my lamp...

They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. - Matt 25:3-4

Here lies the difference between the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. Not only that one group had oil and the other did not, but the difference also lies in the emphasis.

The lamp speaks of the outward profession of one who claims to be a Christian. The foolish took their lamps and took no oil. They remembered the lamp but forgot the oil. Some build on the outward so much that they forget that it's what's inside that matters more. We may emphasise attendance at meetings, good works, Bible knowledge and even fluent prayer but all this may still be manifested by one who is empty inside. The wise took oil...with their lamps. The emphasis this time was spot on. The oil first and then the lamp! True spirituality is measured from inward growth and not the externals. However, inward growth will be clearly seen from the externals. Oh that the balance may be found in me!

They that multiply gods multiply griefs to themselves; for whosoever thinks one god too little, will find two too many, and yet hundreds not enough. - Matthew Henry

The LORD will provide

...and get thee into the land of Moriah, and there offer him up for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of...[Abraham] went to the place that God had told him of...On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar...And they came to the place of which God had told him. - Gen 22:2-4, 9

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said at the present day, On the mount of Jehovah will be provided. - Gen 22:14

The mount on which the Lord provided was the very place that the Lord directed Abraham to, right from the start. Abraham experienced God's providence as he obeyed and found himself at the right place, the place that the Lord led Him to be in. Do I sometimes wonder why I don't experience the Lord's providence in my life? Then I must ask, am I in the right place? Have I obeyed the Lord's directions? Or have I gone astray with eyes looking down and losing sight of that place, that Jehovah-jireh place?

Quotes from my reading

Christianity...does not teach us by dry rules and regulations, but by setting before us, in the Person of Christ, a perfect model of what we ought to be. It presents to our view the very One who, as a test, left us without a single plea, and as a victim, left us without a single stain, and who now, as our model, is to be the subject of our admiring study and the standard at which we are ever and only to aim. - C. H. Mackintosh

We see Christ's life only to be judged by it's perfection, we accept His death to be saved through it's efficacy and then understand His life now to live by it's example.

Remedy for retreat

The wall built, stone by stone, strong,
To shut one in from what seems wrong;
Serves only to keep others at bay,
Even to chasing dear ones away.

Those who passed by, peering in, concerned,
And though for them one’s heart truly yearned;
Shut out by each stone of cynicism,
Overwhelmed by arrows of sarcasm.

Now, all lonely, a peek outside taken,
Only to be filled with more fear, shaken;
Locked within, long, from the external shore,
Now makes it stranger than ever before.

Oh! For courage to step out again,
Knowing the labour shall not be in vain;
To live is Christ, to die is gain,
‘Tis God’s strange design to overcome pain.

His and Mine

My joy, a falling star,
For one brief moment bright;
But God's, the changeless firmament
That holds a changeless light.

My love, the ebb and flow
Of ocean's restless tides;
But His the towering cliff above
That evermore abides.

My trust, the spider's web,
As gossamer, as frail;
His word, the everlasting hills,
Whose strength can never fail.

My peace, a shallow pool,
Soon brimmed and sooner dried;
But God's, an ever-flowing stream
With waters deep and wide.

O rock! O steadfast hills!
Far sky, and river free!
Thy strength, Thy sure serenity,
Thy quietness, give me.

Annie Johnson Flint

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Hudson Taylor, a missionary in China, had three important beliefs concerning prayer: first, you can work without praying, but it is a bad plan; second, you cannot pray in earnest without working; and third, do not be so busy with work for Christ, that you have no strength left to pray. True praying requires strength. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Prayer is not an escape from responsibility; it is our response to God’s ability. True prayer energizes us for service and battle.” Augustine said, “Pray as though everything depended on God, and work as though everything depended on you.” --Warren Henderson

O how praying rests the weary! Prayer will change the night to day;
So, when life seems dark and dreary, don’t! forget to pray. --M. A. K.

Will I pray?

Sometimes I have so much to do
I think it must be done.
I'll work so very, very hard
From morn till set of sun,
But there is something I have found;
This really doesn't pay.
I've always found I've weaker grown
If I have failed to pray.

Sometimes 'twas something for myself,
Sometimes it was for God,
Sometimes it was for other folks
That many steps I trod.
But 'tis no matter who 'twas for,
I truthfully must say,
My faith and trust had smaller grown
Because I failed to pray.

So I am trying hard to learn
That nothing's really great
If it must take my praying time,
So praying has to wait.
It's praying, makes me fit for work;
It is my staff and stay,
And work will never be the best,
If I have failed to pray.

Author unknown

God's Thoughts and Mine

The Hammer thoughts
That pound and shatter peace;
The Rodent thoughts
That gnaw and will not cease;

The Brier thoughts
That pull and prick and scratch;
The Rover thoughts
That I can never catch;

The Serpent thoughts
That leave their lairs at night;
The Shadow thoughts
That dim the new day's light;

These are my thoughts;
Oh, take them, Lord, I pray,
Out of my heart,
And cast them far away;

And in their stead
Give me those thoughts of Thine,
So crystal-clear,
So holy, high and fine,

That I shall grow
By their pure grace enticed,
Worthy to think
The lovely thoughts of Christ.

Annie Johnson Flint

Honour thy father...

And Shem and Japheth took the upper garment and both laid it upon their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away, that they saw not their father's nakedness. - Genesis 9:23

Have always been struck by the way in which these two sons protected the honour of their drunk father. Am reminded of it again. No complains about how shameful Noah's behaviour was. No arguments about whether or not they should do what they did and the effects of Noah's doing on the family. No doubts about their duty to honour their father. Had they chosen not to cover Noah's nakedness, they could have argued that he asked for it, they could have reasoned that he deserved it or they could have rationalised that he had it coming to him. Instead, not only did they cover him so that others would not see his nakedness but they themselves refused to take a glimpse of their father's bareness and vulnerability, refusing to allow their father's flawed character to influence the degree of honour they should give him. Is it not said that love covers all trangressions?

Taking it a step further, here's a father who is but human, weak and sinful, like all earthly fathers. We may give the excuse that they make it difficult for us to honour them. But we who know the perfect Father in heaven, what excuse do we have not to honour Him in our lives? And if we say we honour Him, then wouldn't we honour our earthly fathers as He commanded us to?

Show Us Thy Grace

Show us our need, O Lord; how lost, how hopeless,
How poor, how sunk in sin our carnal hearts;
Show us how vain to change our sad condition,
Our best endeavor and our utmost arts;
Show us how weak we are, and how dependent,
How multiplied defeats our pride abase;
And then -- O Lord, lest we despair too wholly --
Show us Thy grace!

Show us Thy grace, the great, the all-sufficient,
Infinite riches for our poverty,
Mercy of God for uttermost salvation,
Weapon that turns defeat to victory;
Gladness unspeakable and full of glory,
Beyond our needs, a vast unmeasured space.
Lord, as we never yet have seen or known it,
Show us Thy grace!

Annie Johnson Flint

Quotes from my reading

A man who thinks much of himself saves others the trouble of thinking about him. - C. H. Mackintosh

In the case of Epaphroditus, the whole assembly at Philippi, the blessed apostle Paul and above all, God Himself all engaged in thinking about a man who did not think about himself.

My Advocate

I sinned. And straightway, post-haste, Satan flew Before the presence of the Most High God, And made a railing accusation there. He said,"This soul, this thing of clay and sod, Has sinned. 'Tis true that he has named Thy name, But I demand his death, for Thou hast said, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' Shall not Thy sentence be fulfilled? Is justice dead? Send now this wretched sinner to his doom. What other thing can righteous ruler do?" And thus he did accuse me day and night, And every word he spoke, O God, was true! Then quickly One rose up from God's right hand, Before Whose glory angels veiled their eyes. He spoke," Each jot and tittle of the law Must be fulfilled: the guilty sinner dies! But wait....Suppose his guilt were all transferred To ME and that I paid his penalty! Behold My hands, My side, My feet! One day I was made sin for him, and died that he Might be presented faultless, at Thy throne!" And Satan fled away. Full well he knew That he could not prevail against such love, For every word my dear Lord spoke was true! Martha Snell Nicholson

The Task

But what things were gain to me these I counted, on account of Christ, loss. - Phil 3:7

To learn, and yet to learn, whilst life goes by,
So pass the student's days;
And thus be great, and do great things, and die,
And lie embalmed with praise.

My work is but to lose and to forget,
Thus small, despised to be;
All to unlearn—this task before me set;
Unlearn all else but Thee.

Gerhard Ter Steegen

Shut In

God sometimes shuts the door while heart to heart
He whispers some sweet message o'er and o'er,
Some tender message while we sit apart,
When God has shut the door.

God sometimes shuts the door, that so His word
Shall not be marred, or hurt, by earthly din,
And every softest syllable be heard,
When He has shut us in.

God shuts the door and shuts us in. How sweet
To feel that He would have us so alone;
And waiting in the silence at His feet
How precious He has grown.

God shuts the door; His love would have us so
In peaceful rest for just a little space,
That, when He opens it and bids us go,
We may recall His face.

God shuts us in; not harshly, but in love
The door is closed that keeps us fast within;
His yearning face bends closer from above
When He has shut us in.

God shuts us in. No longer now we beat
His barrier, impatient to be free.
Throb low, my heart,a secret, tender, sweet,
The Master speaks to thee.

Shut in, but not alone. O wondrous Guest!
His hand is on the latch, He speaks once more.
Lord, till I know in full Thy sweet behest,
I pray, hold fast the door.

Gussie Packhard DuBois

Divine dialogue

And God said,"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth." - Gen 1:26

But about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is,"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" - Matt 27:46

And Jesus, having cried with a loud voice, said,"Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, He expired. - Luke 23:46

The Bible is filled with accounts of conversation between the Persons of the triune God. The longest one being in John 17. What a privilege to be allowed a glimpse into the intimacy of the Son of God with the Father. In Genesis we find the first recorded conversation. It speaks of exclusiveness in creation and unity in the Godhead. It shows that the Lord Jesus is indeed the Word who was always with God. We find the Lord Jesus being in the centre of the creation account. In the gospels we find the last written conversation. In the extraordinary darkness, the Lord cried out, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? It speaks of separation in the Godhead because the wrath of a Holy God was upon the Bearer of the sin of the whole world. I'm glad that it didn't end there. The Lord Jesus could go on to say that He committed His spirit into the Father's hands: For Thou wilt not leave My soul to Sheol, neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to see corruption (Ps 16:10). The conversation continues now that the Lord has resurrected, ascended and is seated at the right hand of God. But now the conversation is on our behalf: Whence also He is able to save completely those who approach by Him to God, always living to intercede for them.

Borrowed from Choice Gleanings

Lord's Day
JUNE 18

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father...all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die. - Deuteronomy 21:18, 21
I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. - Jn 17:4
This is My beloved Son. - Luke 9:35
He spared not His own Son. - Romans 8:32

The Old Testament is full of rebellious sons who shamed their fathers in many ways. The New Testament is full of the righteous Son who glorified His Father in every way. Out of love, many rebellious sons were spared. Out of love, one righteous Son was not. -- S. McE.

Jehovah bade His sword awake; O Christ it woke ‘gainst Thee.
Thy blood the flaming blade must slake; Thy heart its sheath must be.

Feet washing

Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. - Gen 18:4

After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe [them] with the towel wherewith he was girded. - John 13:5

We have here the first and the last recorded occurrences of feet washing in relation to the Lord Jesus. The disciples didn't seem to have seen the opportunity that was presented to them. The opportunity to bow down in submission, to stoop low in surrender and to wash the Lord's feet in service. They didn't learn from their patriarch who was presented with the same opportunity but made full use of it. How true the words, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." All there is to learn about the Messiah is there in the Old Testament, including how He should be treated. But therein also lies how He would be treated.

The Real Miracle

Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. - Luke 4:2

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. - John 19:28

"We're impressed that He miraculously provided wine at Cana and bread to the multitudes. But Christ had been sustaining others for as long as the creation existed. The truly astounding thought is that the One who could provide food and drink at will, began His ministry hungry and ended it thirsty." - James Martin (taken from UPLOOK, April 2006)

Meekness

But the man Moses was very meek, above all men that were upon the face of the earth. - Num 12:3

From this chapter alone we can learn from the three things Moses did as proof of his meekness:
1) In his writing, he does not hide but admits his mistake and weakness in taking a Cushite/Ethiopian woman as his second wife (vs 1-2).
2) He did not try to vindicate himself when questioned by his siblings but instead left it to God. God honoured that (vs 7-10).
3) He still prayed for his accusers (vs 13).

Defying Scriptures

But Peter said to Him, "Even if all should be offended, yet not I." - Mark 14:29

What was Peter thinking? He says this right after the Lord affirms that scripture will be fulfilled and quotes from Zechariah that the sheep will indeed be scattered. So what exactly was Peter saying? That he will defy what scripture clearly stated will happen? That the scripture did not apply to him?

Elsewhere the Lord says,
I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. - John 15:5

So when I live my life independent of the Lord, what am I saying? That I can defy what the Lord clearly says - without Him I can do nothing? Or am I saying that the Lord's words does not apply to me?

Heart in the bag

Man by himself is priced,
For thirty pieces Judas sold himself, not Christ.

Author unknown

Vanity of vanities

Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole of man. - Ecclesiastes 12:13

The expression 'under the sun' is used 29 times throughout Ecclesiastes and twice we find the phrase 'under the heavens'. The Preacher, in looking at the things of this world, concludes over and over again that all is vanity and a chasing after the wind. It is only in looking beyond the sun and above the heavens, unto God, that he finds true meaning to life in this world. Am I keeping my eyes fixed on things under the sun or do I seek the things which are above, where the Son is?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace. - Helen H. Lemmel

Beauty's timing

He (God) hath made everything beautiful in its time... - Ecclesiastes 3:11

This verse follows a whole list of things that happens in its season under the heavens (vs 1-8). Among the things in that list is dying, breaking down, weeping, mourning and losing. Omnipotence is able to make even these things beautiful in its time.

Be Not Weary

Yes! He knows the way is dreary,
Knows the weakness of our frame,
Knows that hand and heart are weary;
He, 'in all points,' felt the same.
He is near to help and bless;
Be not weary, onward press.

Look to Him who once was willing
All His glory to resign,
That, for thee the law fulfilling,
All His merit might be thine.
Strive to follow day by day
Where His footsteps mark the way.

Look to Him, the Lord of Glory,
Tasting death to win thy life;
Gazing on 'that wondrous story,'
Canst thou falter in the strife?
Is it not new life to know
That the Lord hath loved thee so?

Look to Him who ever liveth,
Interceding for His own:
Seek, yea, claim the grace He giveth
Freely from His priestly throne.
Will He not thy strength renew
With His Spirit's quickening dew?

Look to Him, and faith shall brighten,
Hope shall soar, and love shall burn;
Peace once more thy heart shall lighten;
Rise! He calleth thee, return!
Be not weary on thy way
Jesus is thy strength and stay.

Frances Ridley Havergal

"Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." - Matt 11:28-29

His Way

God bade me go when I would stay
('Twas cool within the wood.)
I did not know the reason why.
I heard a bolder crashing by
Across the path where I had stood.

He bade me stay when I would go;
"Thy will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.

No more I ask the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He doth know
And He will choose safe paths for me.

Maude E. Cramer

"Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:
Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
Lest they come near unto thee." - Psalm 32:9

Borrowed from Choice Gleanings

Lord's Day
APRIL 23

The LORD deal kindly with you. - Ruth 1:8

The lovely virtue of kindness is stated three times in the book of Ruth. It first appears as the kindness of Jehovah (1:8); secondly it is found in the kindness of Boaz toward Ruth (2:20); and finally kindness is seen from Ruth toward Boaz (3:10). First, in a pagan land God shows kindness toward the cursed; next, in the fields of Jerusalem a wealthy man shows it to a stranger; and finally at his feet the recipient returns it again. What a beautiful progression of God’s kindness at work for and in us (Rom. 2:4): first from the Father, then from our Kinsman-Redeemer, and these in turn prompting our response back to our spiritual Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Sam Thorpe

Betraying lips

And immediately coming up to Jesus he (Judas) said,"Hail, Rabbi, and covered him with kisses." - Matt 26:49

I've always thought that Judas betrayed the Lord with one kiss (Lk 22:48). Only yesterday did I realise that he actually kissed the Lord repeatedly or covered the Lord with kisses. It's the same word used in the father's welcome of the prodigal son (Lk 15:20), in the woman's worship of the Lord (Lk 7:38,45) and in the elders' farewell for the apostle Paul (Acts 20:37). All done out of love for the object kissed. Oh how different was Judas' motive! While to the others the kisses were priceless, Judas valued his lot at 30 pieces of silver! Can't help but think of how much I too 'betray' and 'sell' the Lord for little, worthless, empty pleasures of this world.

But see the mercy of the Lord Jesus. It's one thing to allow Judas to land a peck on the cheek while fully knowing that he has the tracks of betrayal burnt in his unrepentant mind but this is a whole different level. The Lord allowed Judas to kiss Him repeatedly. How much it must have cut the Lord's heart as He would have seen right through every touch of the betrayer's lips upon His pure skin. Seeing right through the hypocrisy. No amount of kisses could hide it from omniscience. But what grace! The Lord allows him the kisses and the Lord still calls him friend. This one who never fully understood how the Lord was guiltless until too late. He who dipped his hand into the money bag but whose greed was still not satisfied that he had to betray the Lord for the price of a slave.

If the Lord showed such mercy to Judas, how much more for us? We who have been redeemed by the price of His guiltless blood. We who have found rest and shelter under His finished work. We who are now called sons of God because we know the Son of God, welcomed and loved by the Father. We whose sins have been forgiven by the grace of God. We who are brought in to be part of the body of Christ, to be conformed to the image of Christ. May we learn to love the Lord more and more, 'covering' Him with the 'kisses' of an adoring heart and praising lips!

...He was raised the third day...

And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and the third day he shall be raised up." And they were greatly grieved. - Matt 17:22

Everytime the Lord mentioned His death to His disciples, He almost definitely would follow it up with the mention of His resurrection. The disciples somehow managed to always miss the point though. Here they were grieved? But why? Didn't He end with mention of Him being raised up? They were stuck with the thought of His death. Sadly, little has changed.

There's a lack of emphasis on the resurrection of Christ these days. We stop short of His death and are grieved that such should happen to the Beloved of Heaven. We mourn that it's because of us that He went through such agony. We sing weekly of His sufferings but hymns about His resurrection are only sung once a year. We forget that the work is done, finished! The victory is won. We forget the power through the resurrection. We forget what the resurrection tells us about Christ Himself. Paul longed to know Him and immediately mentions the power of His resurrection first (Phil 3:10).

Christ resurrection marked Him out to be the Son of God in power (Rom 1:4). The resurrection points to Christ as the firstfruit (1 Cor 15:20,23). In the observing of the feasts, the Israelites were not to eat of the harvest from the land until they've offered up the firstfruit offering (Lev 23:14). We had no place in enjoying the blessing of our heavenly land until and unless the Lord Jesus is raised up as the perfect One, truly the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The resurrection sets the Lord as the Chiefest among ten thousand, conspicuous and important, the firstborn among the dead, having the first place in all things, preeminent (Col 1:18)! He's the only one to be raised from the dead by His own power through a perfect life, triumphing over all His enemies and ours, proving His omnipotence (Heb 2:14-15).

If in His resurrection alone we see such a display of power and might, imagine the display when all who have put their trust in Him are raised to join Him at His coming!

Holding back?

And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living". - Mark 12:43-44

The Lord does not take into account what we give as much as what we keep!

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid
Your heart, does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest
And have peace and sweet rest
As you yield Him your body and soul.

Colt vs Stallion

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh to thee...lowly and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass. - Zech 9:9

And I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and one sitting on it, called Faiithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. - Rev 19:11

He who once rode triumphantly on the meek beast of burden will one day come riding on the majestic beast of beauty! Before, He was rejected as king and was curcified, the time is coming when He will be accepted as King of kings and Lord of Lords and be glorified!

Our Lord is now rejected,
And by the world disowned,
By the many still neglected,
And by the few enthroned,
But soon He’ll come in glory,
The hour is drawing nigh,
For the crowning day is coming by and by. - Daniel Whittle

Thou art a priest forever...

Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. - Matt 26:65

And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes. - Lev 21:10

How approriate it was that Caiaphas should disqualify himself from the high priesthood in this way only to pave the way for our great High Priest, the One who is of a better order than the Aaronic order, the One who abides a priest continually, forever, in perpetuity!

Slip of the tongue?

And His disciples say to Him, "Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness as to satisfy so great a crowd?" - Matt 15:33

There could not have been a question so out of place as this one! They had 7 loaves actually and they had 4000 men in the crowd of men, women and children. But those who questioned were the very ones who, not too long before, had witnessed the Lord feeding more with less (Matt 14:17). In the question, forgetfulness and lack of faith was displayed. In the reply, we see forgiveness and wealth of grace. The Lord could have rebuked the disciples for asking such a ridiculous question after witnessing for themselves what He is capable of doing. Instead He seemingly ignores their obvious weakness and keeps to His words, "I have compassion on the crowd..."!

A dear colleague just mentioned about how the mouth at times works faster than the brains. How true of the disciples in this incident. How true of us in so many more incidents in our lives. How compassionate the Lord remains throughout!