Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Does Jesus Get Tired of Us? | Mark | Mark 6.30-44

Episode Date: February 1, 2021

Do you worry ever that God gets tired of hearing prayer requests? Do you want a deeper relationship with him? Understand how Jesus views us from https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/staff/patrick-miller/ (Pastor Patrick Miller) as he reads through https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+6.30-44&version=NIV (Mark 6.30-44) to continue our series on https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/podcast-series/mark/ (Mark). Interested in more content like this? Listen to https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/podcasts/are-kids-a-blessing-or-a-burden-psalm-127-3/ (Are Kids a Blessing or a Burden?) and https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/podcasts/is-god-sovereign-over-sports-games-and-other-things-job-42-1-2/ (Is God Sovereign Over Sports Games (and Other Things)?) from our earlier series on https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/podcast-series/questions-youre-asking/ (Questions You're Asking). Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit our https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (website) and follow us on https://www.facebook.com/TenMinuteBibleTalks (Facebook), https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ (Instagram), and https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo (Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO and @TenMinuteBibleTalks.  Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now.

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. And I'm Patrick Miller. I am not a great parent. I'd like to be, but I'm not quite there yet, and I'm not sure if I ever will be. Why? Because I am selfish and impatient. But thankfully, that means I have a lot in common with my kids. So there's that. I have a four-year-old and a two-year-old, and no word better describes this age group than needy. They always need something. Diaper changes, snacks, butt wiping dinner, toys they can't find, help drawing unicorns, someone to watch them when they do something unimpressive, a referee to call their fights. Little kids are needy. They never stop needing, which is why I'm positive that at some point every single parent has yelled, give me space. In fact, having children has sometimes led me to

the belief that relaxation and peace are inalienable human rights, which only the most sadistic oppressor could steal, which means that on my worst days, I think that. my children are sadistic oppressors. The honestly funny thing about being a selfish, impatient person like me who constantly needs his space and quote unquote self-care is that I assume everybody else is the same. And that means that I find it embarrassing to ask people for help. It means that I assume people are annoyed whenever I have needs. And this is especially the case if the person I'm asking for something from is in the middle of getting their own well-deserved me time. Sometimes I feel that way with Jesus. Like Jesus is just too busy for me in my needs. He doesn't want me to be a spiritual three-year-old.

He probably gets frustrated with all the ways that I can't do things and I should be able to do them, but I can't. But does that picture of Jesus, Jesus has the impatient, selfish parent like me, does that actually match the picture of Jesus and Mark? Well, let's pick it up in Mark 630. The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. then because so many people were coming and going that they did not have a chance to even eat, he said to them, come with me, by yourselves, to a quiet place, and let's get some rest. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and he saw the large crowd. So let's pause before we hear Jesus's response. What do you think Jesus did?

I mean, he's trying to get away from the crowds because he's been so much with them that they haven't even had time to eat. And the disciples, they barely had any time to rest. And he says, guys, it's time for a little space after a long period of preaching and healing. Now's me time. Now it's time for self-care. And like a massive posse of three-year-olds, the crowds, they all guess where Jesus is going in his boat. They get there ahead of him on foot. And when Jesus gets there, they don't care what Jesus wanted to do.

And so what would you do if you were Jesus? What would you do in your own life if someone interrupted you in the middle of a long-deserved me time? At the end of a long, hard day? What do you think Jesus does when you interrupt him with your needs? Well, let's just keep reading. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And so he began teaching them many things. Jesus doesn't see your needs as an obstacle to his happiness.

He sees your neediness and he feels compassion on you. He sees you for what you are, a sheep without a shepherd. I shouldn't be surprised when my two-year-old needs me. That's kind of in the nature of two-year-olds. And our shepherd, Jesus, he isn't surprised when we act like sheep. We need him to feed us, to fill us with his love and joy. You need him to shepherd you and to guide you, to give you direction and purpose, to tell you what's next and where to go.

You need your shepherd to protect you, to be with you when you're afraid and in anxiety. You need him to be there to secure you and to secure your ultimate destiny with him and the new creation. When you bring your needs to Jesus, he is not irritated. He has compassion. Are you keeping parts of your life from Jesus right now? Maybe you think you can't bring your next work meeting to Jesus. Well, you can. Or maybe you're overwhelmed with a messy house and chores and projects that need to get done.

you can't bring those to Jesus. Oh, yes, you can. You can bring those to Jesus. Maybe you think that you can't bring your finances, your bills, your bank account to Jesus. You can. And Jesus will give you what you need. Let's keep reading. Mark 635. By this time, it was late in the day. And so his disciples came to him and said, this is a remote place. They said, it's already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But Jesus answered them. You give them something to eat. And they said to him, that would take more than half a year's wages. Are we to go and spend that much on bread and food and give it to them to eat? Jesus asked, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they found out, they said,

five and two fish. Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. And so they sat down in groups of hundreds and 50s. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and he gave thanks and he broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate, and they all were satisfied. And the disciples picked up 12 baskets of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was 5,000.

Jesus gives the crowd the food that they need. My point isn't to say that Jesus is your vending machine. He doesn't give you everything that you want. He gives you what you need, even if that's contrary to what you need. want. He's not the parent who gives his kid a candy bar every time the kid screams in the grocery aisle. When I do that, it's not because I love my kid. It's because I just like a quiet grocery aisle where my kid isn't crying. But God doesn't give in to us because he loves us and he knows what's best for us. He doesn't give us what we want. He gives us what we need. I think of the story of a woman

who desperately wanted her family to know Jesus. She prayed and prayed and prayed that this would happen. And she was eventually diagnosed with cancer. that's not what she wanted. Eventually, she ended up dying of cancer, but God used her joy and her goodness in the midst of that cancer to draw her entire family to Jesus. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was the thing that her family needed. It was what she wanted in some sense, if she wanted her family to know Jesus mixed with things that she never wanted, she didn't want to have cancer, she didn't want to pass away. But again, it was exactly what she needed, what her family needed to bring about the good that God wanted to bring. So I want you to bring your wants. I want you to

bring your needs to Jesus today. He isn't bothered by them. He isn't annoyed when you do it. He wants to hear them. And he's a good parent. He's a good shepherd. He knows what you need and he'll give it to you when you need it, how you need it. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.