🍽 New Cookbook, Beef Enchiladas Recipe, eReader App, Studying in Mark, and an Entrepreneurial Resource!
Intentional Inspirations Newsletter - 2/10/23
This week I've been studying Mark 6 with a group of ladies online and I wanted to share something that stuck out to me. In Mark 6:30-44, we read about when Jesus feeds the 5000. The people had been with Jesus all day, listening to His teaching. The hour was getting late and the disciples came to Jesus asking Him if they should send the people away to the nearby villages to get something to eat.
Jesus then tells them, "You give them something to eat."
They then respond with asking if they should go and buy some food for everyone.
Jesus then answers them with another question: "How many loaves do you have? Go and see."
They come back and tell Jesus that they have five loaves and two fish. Jesus then takes what they had and fed the 5000.
What stuck out to me in this story is how the disciples reacted when they saw a need or a problem. They had a "plan" that they thought would solve the problem. They knew they did not have enough food to feed all those people, so they had a plan to go get the food.
But Jesus comes back with a question that causes them to look at what they already had. They brought the mere five loaves and two fish to Jesus and He took it and fed the 5000. Wow!
Jesus was again challenging their faith and trust in Him. I believe Jesus was trying to teach them that He will equip them to do His will. They can trust Jesus to take their very lives, even though they may feel they are not adequate or equipped, and use them in big ways to spread the Gospel. I believe Jesus was trying to show them that it is not about them, but about Him and the work He was going to do through them.
Oh how I can relate to the disciples! I so quickly come up with a "plan" to do some thing that I feel God is calling me to do, when what He really wants is for me to humbly come to Him, surrender everything I have to Him (even though it may seem small and inadequate), and allow Him to work through me according to His plan.
I am so thankful for these lessons that God is teaching me. Now whenever I face a problem or struggle, I am going to remember this story, and remember how Jesus responded to the disciples. Instead of looking elsewhere for answers, I pray that I will humbly submit to Jesus all that I "have" and allow Him to work out His will in my life.
What has God been teaching you this week?
Below I share a few things that I am loving this week.
The Daily Grace Co. just came out with a brand new study on the book of Mark! Right now they have it for 50% off, so it’s only $10! Go here to check this new study out.
This Beef Enchiladas recipe is a great one to make a double batch of and freeze one. I have made this recipe many, many times, and my family loves it. So if you are looking for a recipe you can easily double and put one away in the freezer for later, give this one a try!
I recently ordered and received this new cookbook from Earthley. I love the down-to-earth recipes that don’t take a lot of special ingredients, but are healthy. I tried one of the main dish recipes this week and am looking forward to trying some of the breakfast recipes this week. If you are looking for a more simple healthy cookbook, check out this one today!
This is a website that I have really been enjoying recently. They have an app you can put on your phone so you have access to all their articles, videos, audios, etc. We are living in a time where it has never been more important to be a Berean as stated in Acts 17:11. Enjoy!
Shane and Jocelyn Sams from Flipped Lifestyle have been helping people, over the past 5 years or so, to start their own businesses online. I have really appreciated their advice and their hearts to help families. They are going to be having some sort of promotion soon, so go sign up if you are interested. When I get more details I will pass this along as well.
I thought I would share an app I use on my phone for reading ebooks. ReadEra is only on Android, but I love this app! While I love using the Kindle app, there are times when I have ebooks that are not Kindle books that I want to read. This allows me to do that. If you are looking for a good ereader app, check out ReadEra!
I think I’ve shared about this app before, but wanted to share again. I am loving the Bible.is app! I am listening through the Bible with their audio Bible feature. The app is available for both Android and iOS, and is also available to listen online. They even have a page where you can download all the mp3 files of the audio Bibles! I love this! What a great resource to use personally and to share with others!
Just a quick reminder that you can find all my weekly newsletters archived over on Substack here. Feel free to click on over and browse through past newsletters and posts. If your Inbox gets overloaded, you can always just go to my Substack page to find them.
Praying for each of you, that you are finding your rest, your hope, your strength, in Jesus alone!
Take care. Don't fear. Trust God!
Blessings,
Sheri
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