Only 1 miracle is recorded in all Four Gospels authored by Jesus’ closest associates. The Miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fish, is called a Creative Miracle. Five thousand men, their wives and children were fed from a young boy’s lunch. When Jesus saw that His vast audience was hungry, He told His disciples to feed them. The perplexed disciples timidly offered the one creative idea before them—a young lad’s lunch. How do we Cultivate the Environment for a Creative Miracle? Over the next two days we will look at 4 ideas to get you started:
#1 Cultivate your curiosity! How? Curiosity is defined as a desire to learn; a spirit of inquiry and an interest in others. I believe this miracle appears in all four Gospels for two reasons: First, a child with very little to offer took interest in others. Second, these Gospel writers participated in the miracle themselves. As Jesus multiplied the lad’s lunch, their curiosity and interest compelled the disciples to participate in God’s creative miracle! Could it be that simple curiosity is the creative pathway to your miracle?
#2 Cultivate a lifestyle of participation. Allow yourself to get involved with God’s creative process. In this account, a seemingly insignificant child solved a crisis for 5,000 men plus their wives and children. A young boy with only his lunch! Could it be that this kingdom belongs to the children, as the Bible says, because children have the potential to receive all the possibilities that God offers?
Scripture: Matthew 14:15-18, Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:5-13
Did you know that the majority of sickness plaguing the world today results from chronic illness and not infectious disease? Chronic Disease is defined as a long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured. Chronic illness is a worldwide problem. As described by the Centers for Disease Control, chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States.
Lee Jong-wook, former Director General of the World Health Organization, stated in a 2005 report that of a projected 58 million deaths in 2005, approximately 35 million or 60% would be the result of chronic disease. He also projected those staggering figures to increase by another 17% by the year 2015.
Come to Jesus today and give Him your weaknesses, fears, cares and sicknesses. The scriptures say, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Wherever you are today, I want you to know that God is with you—and He hears you right now!
Scriptures: Acts 10:38
In 2006 we were conducting meetings in Puerto Rico. One particular medical doctor noticed that his patients were being healed and took great interest in the miracles. Even though he was initially skeptical, he realized our emphasis on people connecting with Jesus would bring freedom from stress, and often people didn’t even recognize they were healed! God’s peace had entered their spirit, soul and bodies, and with His presence came healing.
This doctor told us that of the female patients he treats, many convince themselves that they are sick. Interestingly, often when running the required tests to identify a problem, he finds nothing. Yet in a matter of a few weeks or months, the same patients will return with evidence of the illnesses they were convinced already existed.
Research shows that DNA actually changes shape according to our thoughts. As you think negative thoughts, toxic thinking re-wires your brain in a negative direction, forcing your mind and body into stress. On the contrary, every positive thought releases life-giving chemicals. Imagine what the brain does when you smell a rose or look at a beautiful picture, or when you read the word of God! Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace,” and when an individual receives His life into their spirit His presence fills them—often driving out sicknesses and disease.
I remember one of our events just north of the Arctic Circle in the city of Murmansk. A hockey rink had been secured for our conference. The main speaker had only one request – that we would NEVER put him on a platform that didn’t allow seating directly in front. When I arrived at the venue just hours before our opening, I was horrified to find that NOT ONE chair had been placed in front of the platform.
I had less than 2 hours to find seating, and the owner of the stadium was not in the mood to help. Glancing at the platform, I recall seeing dozens of risers stacked to the side. Seeing my solution, I directed the workers to distribute the risers across the open floor. The audience quickly filled them up just before the speaker arrived. The owner of the stadium was so impressed with our innovative thinking that by the next morning he had filled the floor with hundreds of chairs free of charge, commenting, “if these people wanted seating this badly – I was determined to give them the best!”
REMEMBER: Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution.
As a young businesswoman I remember sitting at my desk after having just received accolades for a very successful business deal that people of my age seldom experienced.
The president of the bank and my peers thought it was amazing, yet I sat there thinking, “I’ve obtained what people seek after for years…but is this what I want to do with the rest of my life??”
As I was pondering this decision the phone rang. It was a local pastor calling, and I remember telling him, “Funny you should call right now…I am pondering what to do with the rest of my life.” I recall his words so clearly. He simply said, “Let peace be the umpire of your heart.”
Hanging up the phone, I leaned back and thought, “Stay here? For the rest of my life?” NO joy, NO Peace! And in that moment I decided to pursue a second career. Perhaps today, you need courage to follow your heart.
Consider this: My mother-in-law always said, work at your career for 5 years, and if you find yourself bored, then do something else. Her observation: boredom was the great thief of happiness.
Life is too short to be bored!
I recently read an article in the Huffington post entitled: Redefining Happiness in India. In the article a young doctor stated,
“As Indian Americans, we have grown up hearing stories from our parents about how they left India in search of a better life. They came to the West to create new opportunities for themselves and for generations to come.
The younger generations have found more opportunities, more amenities and more comfort. But somewhere in always striving for more, we have also become more discontent. We have started asking the questions, “what brings real happiness?” and “what is the definition of a good life?”
She concluded that this is happiness:
– To STOP constantly thinking of ourselves and to find joy in service.
– To look WITHIN for problem solving instead of finding short term joy in outside things.
– To share our joy by sharing with others.
If you look on the outside of my passport you will see that I am an American Citizen; however, when you look inside, it becomes obvious that I am a citizen of the world. And frankly, I have earned each nation stamp as each culture has indelibly etched its image upon my soul! Whether I experienced success or failure, often in many of these nations a sudden crisis brought out my highest level of creativity! I AM a richly woven tapestry of POSSIBILITY THINKING! And you can be too!
First, SPEND TIME WITH CREATIVE PEOPLE
Whether you are at home, school or busy at the office, spend time with ‘creatives’. These unique souls have practiced the art of turning chaos into beauty and problems into possibilities. Maya Angelou says, ““You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Second, LOOK FOR THE OBVIOUS
As the old saying goes… sometimes the answer is right under your nose. In other words, we don’t always need a creative idea but sometimes we just need to choose the most practical or obvious solution.
Third, BE UNREASONABLE. Always give yourself a minute to think! Think beyond what you consider logical!
Fourth, PRACTICE MENTAL AGILITY.
Being open to spontaneous thought is key to cultivating creativity. I dare you to break free from the rigidity of common thinking and everyday expectation! INNOVATION IS INSPIRING!
Fifth, SEE PROBLEMS AS OPPORTUNITIES!
Creativity is fueled when you replace the word problem with opportunity! ‘Opportunity’ is that moment when you decide, no opposition, poverty, or weakness can hold you back!
According to the Holy Scriptures, King Solomon was considered to be the wisest and richest king who ever lived. He had all the power, riches, wine and women he could ever desire. He pursued the essence of happiness, and his sad conclusion is found in a book called Ecclesiastes. He found only emptiness. His verdict on pursuing happiness? Who needs it!
We conclude that he was searching for happiness in all the wrong places. If that’s so, where do we find happiness? Many have reached the same conclusion as Augustine, a powerful 3rd-century noble, who pursued women and wine. He said, “Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible!”
Walking down one of the streets he had frequented before, a local harlot called out, “Augustine, it is I! It is I!” Augustine responded, “It is not I! It is not I!” Why? He had discovered a new identity for himself!
One of my most important life-experiences came as I was helping Jean, a woman who attended our weekly feeding program. Our local city had issued a notice that she was to clean up her property or they would haul off all her possessions. What was so tragic is that although she owned a beautiful home, she lived on the front porch! You could not even find a pathway through her home. Though she was a gentle soul with a love for nature and a concern for suffering people, she had a serious mental struggle.
Our local outreach group organized a team to clear her property—not an easy job, since to her, everything seemed valuable. I remember sitting on the street curb, dirty from head to foot, picking up seeds that had just spilled from her pouch. At that moment, a carload of young people careened by and they shouted, “Look at the street people!” Then I realized—they were talking about me! But as my eyes caught Jean’s, I saw joy—because someone cared enough to help her pick up her little seeds.
I have carried that experience with me to over 60 nations. Why? A well-lived life is a life engaged with serving others! If you are sad or depressed, remember there is always someone else who is sadder and more depressed than you. So go out and get busy interacting with others!
Then, as Jesus said, you will discover there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another! (John 15:13) The Dalai Lama said “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
True human value is not found in serving yourself, but in serving others!
Time has a way of dimming our expectation and lowering our forecast of good things in the future. God designed prayer to include the expectation of an answer. Jesus often mentions that our Father’s desire is to do good to His children.
In times of delay Jesus mentions to ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. It is never too late!
When the news came to Jairus that his daughter had died while Jesus was delayed, Jairus was told by Jesus to “only believe.” His daughter will live! Death may be final, but nothing is too late when Jesus is with you!
Jesus needed the faith of Jairus to work with. He knew the bad report would paralyze Jairus as it would us. Grief and sorrow would soon replace faith unless Jesus addressed it. Getting hold of our feelings is important! I believe Jesus was saying to Jairus: “Just stay open to your miracle. Do not shut down. I am bigger than any bad report!”
Friends, never quit and you will never lose!
Scripture: Luke 8:48-50
