SlOw leARneR

I can be just as slow as Jesus disciples. 

Matthew 15:30-38 A vast crowd brought to Him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and He healed them all. 31 The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.

32 Then Jesus called His disciples and told them, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with Me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way."

33 The disciples replied, "Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?" 34 Jesus asked, "How much bread do you have?" They replied, "Seven loaves, and a few small fish."

35 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36 Then He took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd. 37 They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 38 There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.

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After Jesus fed the 5,000 plus people back in chapter 14, you would think that when Jesus mentioned to the disciples that the crowd needed food, wouldn't they tell everybody to sit down because it is time to eat. Instead they are wondering about the logistics of the feeding program beginning with how do we get that much food.

No wonder our Lord called them men of little faith (Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20), it seems that they are slow learners and they may be, but are we any better off? How many times does God have to put us in his classroom and teach us the same lesson over and over again?

Jesus had compassion on his followers and took care of their needs, he always does! He even has compassion for us slow learners! 

Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

I need to have more compassion for people, help me Lord to see the needs of others and to have faith that you can help them through my faithfulness. Help me to learn from life's lessons the first time around and avoid making foolish mistakes over again.