No one likes to go hungry. Some of us have had some lean times, but most have not known famine as our text describes. Recently, we have had some bare grocery store shelves in our country, but nothing can compare to what the Bible tells us in Egypt. However, the famine in Egypt was more severe than most have ever experienced. Once their money ran out and they had sold their cattle, all that was left was to sell their land and themselves into servitude to survive. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a spiritual famine. And, like the Egyptians in our story, we rely on our finances and assets to carry us through the lean time. We come to church and offer what we have to be fed, but like the long famine, sometimes the lean times are longer than we expect, and we have to have more than being provided for a short time. The Bible says that after they traded their money and livestock for bread and were still in trouble, they came back again asking for seed. They knew that getting seed was the key to survival because, with seed, they could reap a harvest that would provide for their future. Our spiritual survival relies on seeds, too. The seed we plant will harvest souls that God will use to build His church. That harvest will come to us, our children, and our grandchildren. We may have famine now, but a time of increase is on the way, but to see that, we must have seed.

In our text, God gives us a picture of how He views us and what He wants our relationship with Him to be. Prayer is a vehicle to connect with God, communicate with Him, and develop relationships. In the first part of His answer, Jesus gives a pattern and a model of how to make that connection in the form of the Lord's prayer. Jesus goes on in the second part of his answer to give the example of a man waking his neighbor up in the middle of the night. The story's point is that He responds to the persistence of our asking and to illustrate that if we in our humanity will react to a friend's need, how much more will God respond to ours? Finally, He gives several examples of children asking for food and asks which of us would give them something dangerous. All of this illustrates God's love for us through human examples. If we love our children as we do, how much more is God's capacity to love His creation? He was moving them from the lesser to the greater.

In our text, God gives us a picture of how He views us and what He wants our relationship with Him to be. Prayer is a vehicle to connect with God, communicate with Him, and develop relationships. In the first part of His answer, Jesus gives a pattern and a model of how to make that connection in the form of the Lord's prayer. Jesus goes on in the second part of his answer to give the example of a man waking his neighbor up in the middle of the night. The story's point is that He responds to the persistence of our asking and to illustrate that if we in our humanity will react to a friend's need, how much more will God respond to ours? Finally, He gives several examples of children asking for food and asks which of us would give them something dangerous. All of this illustrates God's love for us through human examples. If we love our children as we do, how much more is God's capacity to love His creation? He was moving them from the lesser to the greater.

In our text, God gives us a picture of how He views us and what He wants our relationship with Him to be. Prayer is a vehicle to connect with God, communicate with Him, and develop relationships. In the first part of His answer, Jesus gives a pattern and a model of how to make that connection in the form of the Lord's prayer. Jesus goes on in the second part of his answer to give the example of a man waking his neighbor up in the middle of the night. The story's point is that He responds to the persistence of our asking and to illustrate that if we in our humanity will react to a friend's need, how much more will God respond to ours? Finally, He gives several examples of children asking for food and asks which of us would give them something dangerous. All of this illustrates God's love for us through human examples. If we love our children as we do, how much more is God's capacity to love His creation? He was moving them from the lesser to the greater.

God Commanded Joshua to direct one man from each tribe of Israel to pick up a stone from the River Jordan where the Priest's feet had stood. This was to build a monument for future generations to remember God's leading them to the promised land. The Bible says that when your children ask, " What do you mean by these stones…. Not if, WHEN. Future generations must know the foundations of doctrine that make up our beliefs. These were not small rocks but large stones that took some effort to carry. These large stones are like the foundations of our faith. Our children and grandchildren cannot know the truth if we fail to carry the foundation stones of prayer, worship, stewardship, One God, Water baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the first temptation was to turn stones into bread. He wanted Jesus to trade eternal things for the immediate gratification of something to eat. The world wants us to change our foundational beliefs for temporal pleasures and comfort. Just as Jesus resisted, we must also push back against the enemy's attempt to destroy our faith by destroying the foundation. We must preserve and protect these stones.

God Commanded Joshua to direct one man from each tribe of Israel to pick up a stone from the River Jordan where the Priest's feet had stood. This was to build a monument for future generations to remember God's leading them to the promised land. The Bible says that when your children ask, " What do you mean by these stones…. Not if, WHEN. Future generations must know the foundations of doctrine that make up our beliefs. These were not small rocks but large stones that took some effort to carry. These large stones are like the foundations of our faith. Our children and grandchildren cannot know the truth if we fail to carry the foundation stones of prayer, worship, stewardship, One God, Water baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the first temptation was to turn stones into bread. He wanted Jesus to trade eternal things for the immediate gratification of something to eat. The world wants us to change our foundational beliefs for temporal pleasures and comfort. Just as Jesus resisted, we must also push back against the enemy's attempt to destroy our faith by destroying the foundation. We must preserve and protect these stones.

God Commanded Joshua to direct one man from each tribe of Israel to pick up a stone from the River Jordan where the Priest's feet had stood. This was to build a monument for future generations to remember God's leading them to the promised land. The Bible says that when your children ask, " What do you mean by these stones…. Not if, WHEN. Future generations must know the foundations of doctrine that make up our beliefs. These were not small rocks but large stones that took some effort to carry. These large stones are like the foundations of our faith. Our children and grandchildren cannot know the truth if we fail to carry the foundation stones of prayer, worship, stewardship, One God, Water baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the first temptation was to turn stones into bread. He wanted Jesus to trade eternal things for the immediate gratification of something to eat. The world wants us to change our foundational beliefs for temporal pleasures and comfort. Just as Jesus resisted, we must also push back against the enemy's attempt to destroy our faith by destroying the foundation. We must preserve and protect these stones.

Today's texts are Jesus' encounters with the Samarian woman at the well and the lame man by the pool at Bethesda. In both cases, Jesus engages them, knowing what He would do but needing them to allow Him to do it. God is trying to remind us who we are talking to. After He rose from the tomb, Jesus found the apostles fishing. He knew they had no fish when He asked, "Have you any meat?" He did not ask to embarrass them but to remind them who He was and who they were: fishers of men. We need to remember who He is and who He says we are.

Don't let what we lack keep us from being what he wants us to be. Too many allow what they do not have to keep them from coming to God. Jesus asked Phillip where they would get bread to feed the multitude, but the bible says Jesus already knew what He would do. Jesus doesn't need what we have or what we don't have. He can work miracles with what little we have; all we have to do is let Him. Jesus tells the woman at the well to get her husband; He already knew she didn't have one. He knew she had been married five times and that the man she was with was not her husband. Even knowing all that about her, Jesus went to Samaria to meet her and reveal Himself to her. Jesus asked the man by the Bethesda pool if he would be healed. The man responded with excuses about what he didn't have. Jesus is more interested today in what we do have because he knows what he is going to do. He knows we have no bread. He knows we have no fish. He knows we have no man to help us. He knows we have no husband, but none of that matters because He knows what He wants to do. Jesus wants to work in our lives regardless of what we lack. We do not come with fear and worry because of what God lacks; we come with fear and worry because of what we don't have. It doesn't matter what we don't have because He has all we need.

Today's texts are Jesus' encounters with the Samarian woman at the well and the lame man by the pool at Bethesda. In both cases, Jesus engages them, knowing what He would do but needing them to allow Him to do it. God is trying to remind us who we are talking to. After He rose from the tomb, Jesus found the apostles fishing. He knew they had no fish when He asked, "Have you any meat?" He did not ask to embarrass them but to remind them who He was and who they were: fishers of men. We need to remember who He is and who He says we are.

Don't let what we lack keep us from being what he wants us to be. Too many allow what they do not have to keep them from coming to God. Jesus asked Phillip where they would get bread to feed the multitude, but the bible says Jesus already knew what He would do. Jesus doesn't need what we have or what we don't have. He can work miracles with what little we have; all we have to do is let Him. Jesus tells the woman at the well to get her husband; He already knew she didn't have one. He knew she had been married five times and that the man she was with was not her husband. Even knowing all that about her, Jesus went to Samaria to meet her and reveal Himself to her. Jesus asked the man by the Bethesda pool if he would be healed. The man responded with excuses about what he didn't have. Jesus is more interested today in what we do have because he knows what he is going to do. He knows we have no bread. He knows we have no fish. He knows we have no man to help us. He knows we have no husband, but none of that matters because He knows what He wants to do. Jesus wants to work in our lives regardless of what we lack. We do not come with fear and worry because of what God lacks; we come with fear and worry because of what we don't have. It doesn't matter what we don't have because He has all we need.

Today's texts are Jesus' encounters with the Samarian woman at the well and the lame man by the pool at Bethesda. In both cases, Jesus engages them, knowing what He would do but needing them to allow Him to do it. God is trying to remind us who we are talking to. After He rose from the tomb, Jesus found the apostles fishing. He knew they had no fish when He asked, "Have you any meat?" He did not ask to embarrass them but to remind them who He was and who they were: fishers of men. We need to remember who He is and who He says we are.

Don't let what we lack keep us from being what he wants us to be. Too many allow what they do not have to keep them from coming to God. Jesus asked Phillip where they would get bread to feed the multitude, but the bible says Jesus already knew what He would do. Jesus doesn't need what we have or what we don't have. He can work miracles with what little we have; all we have to do is let Him. Jesus tells the woman at the well to get her husband; He already knew she didn't have one. He knew she had been married five times and that the man she was with was not her husband. Even knowing all that about her, Jesus went to Samaria to meet her and reveal Himself to her. Jesus asked the man by the Bethesda pool if he would be healed. The man responded with excuses about what he didn't have. Jesus is more interested today in what we do have because he knows what he is going to do. He knows we have no bread. He knows we have no fish. He knows we have no man to help us. He knows we have no husband, but none of that matters because He knows what He wants to do. Jesus wants to work in our lives regardless of what we lack. We do not come with fear and worry because of what God lacks; we come with fear and worry because of what we don't have. It doesn't matter what we don't have because He has all we need.