Joe White Drive Time Podcast

An Abundance Left Over - Mark 6:41-44

"One of the greatest joys of my life, gosh, 30 something years ago, we started building camps for inner city kids and man, it has been a great adventure. We get kids from inner cities all over America. Just the most precious children really, who've been overlooked a lot by our society. But every summer there's now four camps for these urban kids."

Family Discussions:

1. How do you personally find God's abundance in him, in his word, every day?
2. Have you been going to him daily for your bread? Or have you been going to the world's ideas of abundance?
3. What is the secret of living the abundance life?

Transcription:

00:14          This is a good one today. We're in Mark chapters six and we're going to be reading verses 41 through 44 this is one of the greatest moments of Jesus's life. I love this devotional. In verse 41 a chapter six it says this, "and Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up toward heaven. He blessed the food and broke the loaves and he kept giving them to the disciples to set before them and he divided up the two fish among them and they all ate and were satisfied and they picked up 12 full baskets of the broken pieces and also the fish." There were 5,000 men who ate the loaves all from one little sack of groceries.

 

01:01          You know what? I get to see Jesus do that a lot. In fact, one of the greatest joys of my life, gosh, 30 something years ago, we started building camps for inner city kids and man, it has been a great adventure. We get kids from inner cities all over America. Just the most precious children really, who've been overlooked a lot by our society. But every summer there's now four camps for these urban kids. And you know what, man? There's 7,000 who come every summer and literally get a bubble bath of Jesus and they go back to their neighborhoods to live for Christ. The crazy thing about it is there's this waiting list every year. I mean, there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of kids who can get in. It's just the word has got around in inner cities all over America. The Kids Across America is the place to go. And you just see this abundance of Jesus at this camp and the abundance is spreading all over the country. And you know what? That's what I love about God.

 

02:05          I see the same thing in my love for Debbie Jo. You know, after all these decades of being married to this amazing girl, my love just grows and grows and grows. Like every year of our life is like I rediscover love. There's an abundance of love. You just can't get enough. When God is in the middle of something, it just overflows. There's baskets full leftover. And so it is with God. And you know, when I consider God, man, I am overcome with gratitude. I mean his love just overalls me. Why? Why would he not only put up with, you know, someone like me, but also actually be my dad. Why would he just be my best friend? My God. It's, it's beyond my wildest dreams. You know, his love can't be contained in my mind. Why? It's the same reason.

 

2:55          You know, days when I, when I go to the world for fulfillment in my mind and try to, you know, to fill myself with whatever's of the world. You know what? I ended up with a glass that's half full. I went up with a plate that's half empty. You know, I'll get selfish or I'll get impatient with God. I'll get impatient with my family, with myself. But hey, I don't know where you are. But Jesus fed the 5,000 and don't ever forget he had 12 baskets leftover. In the same way he feeds his kids. That's you. With love, with peace, with fulfillment, and there's always an abundance left over. And so he gives us love for each other and we find an abundance of that for each other as well.

 

03:41          Here's the questions today. How do you personally find God's abundance in him, in his word, every day? And then this second question, take it right to your heart. Have you been going to him daily for your bread? Or have you been going to the world's ideas of abundance? And explain that if you can. Whoever's watching this with you. And then the last one is the big one. What is the secret of living the abundance life? Here's the lifeline for today. If Christ can feed 5,000 men plus the wives and children in their lives on just a few loaves of bread and a few piece of fish, think what he can do with the family that's totally yielded to him.

 

The Healing Touch of Jesus - Mark 5:35-36

" I remember we were doing a crusade at Oklahoma university and you know, a couple of thousand kids show up and one girl comes to the cross and gives her life to Christ and Jesus gives her the healing touch. And she said to me afterwards in the letter, she said, you know what? She said, my body has always been my god. My body is my god."

Family Discussions:

1. What is your need that enables you relate to some of these healing touches of Jesus that I've talked to you about today?
2. How can your family be more bonded around the need for his healing touch?
3. Jesus' last words when he said, don't be afraid. Only believe. How do those reassuring words speak to your heart today?
4. How do you need to see it?

Transcription:

00:14          This devotional today is fantastic because it comes from the words of a fantastic man. The most fantastic man who ever lived and obviously the most fantastic book that was ever written. Imagine when you look at this book, you're looking literally at the Word of God. The Word that God breathed out of his mouth. That's what scripture he is. We're in the life of Jesus. Of course, we're in Mark chapter five, and today we're going to start with verse 35 and go to verse 36. It was a amazing day in the life of Christ, but it's going to have something amazing to say to you as well. Verse 35 said this "while he was still speaking that came from the house of the synagogue official saying, your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher anymore? But Jesus overhearing what was being spoken said that the synagogue official do not be afraid any longer. Only believe."

 

01:09          And so Jesus goes to the little girl whose name was Taletha and he gives her his healing touch and the healing word, he says politely, little girl arise and she arose and live happily ever after, I presume. Pretty neat to read about that girl and what Jesus did with that girl. But you know what? I see Jesus' healing touch literally every day. Had some little friends in the world of gymnastics and you know, everything about gymnastics is being tiny and being little and being slender and being thin. And all the magazines that these little friends read were you know, the teenage girl magazines and you've gotta be tiny. You gotta be slender and you gotta be slim. And so they became, you know, got an eating disorder and became, you know, anorexic and literally. If something wouldn't have happened, would've probably died from starvation as many young girls and even guys do today from watching this stuff too much. But they begin to give each other the healing touch of God and watching those friends cling to each other and begin to give their eating disorder to God and beginning to give their bodies to God.

 

02:21          I remember we were doing a crusade at Oklahoma university and you know, a couple of thousand kids show up and one girl comes to the cross and gives her life to Christ and Jesus gives her the healing touch. And she said to me afterwards in the letter, she said, you know what? She said, my body has always been my god. My body is my god. But she said, tonight, I begin to see myself in the image of Christ. That's why I love to go to the campuses. I remember at Texas A&M, there were some 6,000 students who showed up for the crusade and afterwards probably three or 4,000 kids came up to the cross. But I'll never forget one girl who had a man she hated and she was living her life in vengeance and bitterness because he killed her had. But that night, that girl brought that hatred to the cross, believe it or not, and she forgave the guy.

 

03:12          I remember an NFL linebacker came to an event in Michigan. They were probably a couple of thousand guys that came down to that cross that day in this great Coliseum. And this one guy had hated his dad for 35 years. All the way through the national football league and all the way through college football. He's one of the best in the game, but he hated his dad because his daddy abused him when he was a little boy. But there in front of the cross, he forgave his dad. I remember hugging this guy, just the tears as he wept and wept in my arms as he was able to say, I love you daddy. I forgive you daddy.

 

03:46          You know, one of the, one of the greatest football players who ever played the game was in prison because of some, some crimes and stuff he'd gotten into. But they're in the prison, an NFL coach who loved Jesus came into the prison and gave that guy the healing touch of Jesus. The guy's back on the field. He got out of prison and he's a completely different person. So the healing touch didn't just happen 2000 years ago, but the healing touch is happening. In fact, it's happening. It's happening in your home.

 

04:21          So here's the questions today. What is your need that enables you relate to some of these healing touches of Jesus that I've talked to you about today? And how can your family, you know, your husband, your wife, your mom, your dad, your grandpa, your, your child? How can your family be more bonded around the need for his healing touch? Because the homes, the best place for it. And then Jesus' last words when he said, don't be afraid. Only believe. How do those reassuring words speak to your heart today? And how do you need to see it? And here's the lifeline for today. Christ uses afflictions to get us on our knees and unite it around the cross. When healing comes, stay there and give him the glory for the rest of your life.

Jesus' Touch - Mark 5:30-34

" I have a dear friend who's now in heaven, but he came to our sports camps and he and I became very good friends. He was a solid believer. But when he went to college, he had a roommate who was an agnostic or perhaps an atheist. And because of the secular school that he was in and the professors that were in his life, he believed in college that faith was in science, math, and medicine. "

Family Discussions:

1. Why was the woman's touch unique to Jesus' heart?
2. What was unique about her touch?
3. When is faith sincere?
4. Is there a hurt in your heart today that needs the sensitive touch of Jesus?

Transcription:

00:14          Hey, I can't wait to tell you the story today. It's a true story and it gives birth to another true story. That's one of the most fascinating stories I've ever heard in my life. The first true story comes from Mark chapter five in scripture. And the context of this story is this, Jesus is in a crowd and the crowd is pressing in all around him and there's a woman who comes up to him who's been hemorrhaging. Her blood just will not heal. Her blood is just flowing. I've got leukemia, CML, leukemia, and if it weren't for an amazing, miraculous, wonder drug that God provided for me, you know, I would be hemorrhaging and probably dying sitting in this chair. But this woman had the blood hemorrhaging disease and she had spent everything she had on her physicians and they couldn't do anything for her.

 

01:05          But we go to verse 30 in this awesome account, and it says this "Immediately Jesus perceiving in himself that the power was proceeding from him had gone forth. He turned around in the crowd and said, who touched my garments? And his disciples said to him, you see the crowd pressing in on you and you say, who touched me? And he looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

 

01:52          You know, I think of the fairy tale, the princess and the pea and those crazy wild fairytales that we used to hear when we were little kids, but you know, the one where the King, I suppose, want to make sure that the princess was a princess. So he stocked up like 20 mattresses over a little bitty pea and he surmised his mind that if she could lay on the mattress and feel the sensitive touch of a little bitty quarter inch pea underneath the lowest mattress, that she indeed would be the princess. I don't know where that came from, but this I believe is the most sensitive touch in the world. When Jesus was in a crowd and some woman who'd spent everything, she had had enough faith to touch his garment and all she needed was one touch. And Jesus healed that woman.

 

02:35          I have a dear friend who's now in heaven, but he came to our sports camps and he and I became very good friends. He was a solid believer. But when he went to college, he had a roommate who was an agnostic or perhaps an atheist. And because of the secular school that he was in and the professors that were in his life, he believed in college that faith was in science, math, and medicine. And he put all of his faith in science and math and medicine and he abandoned his faith in God. He walked away from his faith in Christ and denied that there even was a God. Well, he contracted a disease - a certain kind of cancer that was incurable. And he went through two years of science, faith in medicine. In fact, he had the best doctors in the world, the best of science, faith and medicine, who gave him everything that science, faith and medicine could, but it didn't work. His science, faith and medicine wore out. He had a fiancé who loved Jesus and she began to pray for him. And daily she prayed for him that he would come to know Jesus and she said, God, whatever it takes, whatever it takes for him to come to know Jesus, God, whatever it takes, I'm willing to give him up.

 

03:49          He goes into a coma the last few days of his life. And they're in the coma, literally, he'd been given a drug to completely put him in a medical coma, but there in the coma, he met Jesus. He took a board, a little whiteboard that he used to write on and a pen that was laying by his side and he drew three crosses on that board. In a coma, he drew three crosses and his daddy said, Caleb, are you seeing Jesus? And he and he took the pen and he punched the board three or four times with a pen. He actually came out of the coma and he told his fiancé and he told his family that there in the coma he had met Christ. And his life completely changed for the next two weeks. He said, I love you to people. Everybody who came to him, he was just like the brightest star in the room. When science and faith and math failed, you have the gentle touch of Jesus.

 

04:46          Here's the questions for today. Why was the woman's touch unique to Jesus' heart? From all the other impulses that he felt that day, what was unique about her touch? The second question is this. When is faith sincere? And the third question is this. Is there a hurt in your heart today that needs the sensitive touch of Jesus? And the lifeline is this. Pray as a family every day for the needs and hurts of the people in your family that need a savior's gentle touch because oftentimes He uses you to be the gentle touch of Jesus himself.

Spiritually Paralized - Mark 2:2-5; 11

"I met an interesting guy one time named Larry and Larry is a helicopter mechanic for the Ohio state highway patrol. You know, Larry's been a Christian for many years and he has walked with God with a peace in his heart that only a true Christian understands. The helicopter pilot that Larry serves is a pretty high breasts highway patrolman that spiritually is paralyzed."

Family Discussions:

1. Why does so relatively few friends bring their friends to Jesus?
2. Who's the Larry in your life that needs to know Jesus today?
3. How can you lower your friends through the roof to see Jesus?

Transcription:

00:13          This morning we're in one of my favorite passages of scripture. I love watching friends who bring friends to Christ. This is one of the great accounts of what real friends do for their friends. Chapter two verses two through five. Look at Mark and here it says, "and many were gathered together so that there was no longer any room, not even near the door. And he was speaking the word to them and they came bringing to him a paralytic." If you can picture this scene carried by four men "being unable to get in because of the crowd. They removed the roof above him and when they had dug an opening in the roof, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, son, your sins are forgiven. I say to you, pick up your pallet and go home."

 

01:07          You know, I met an interesting guy one time named Larry and Larry is a helicopter mechanic for the Ohio state highway patrol. You know, Larry's been a Christian for many years and he has walked with God with a peace in his heart that only a true Christian understands. The helicopter pilot that Larry serves is a pretty high breasts highway patrolman that spiritually is paralyzed. That is until Larry came along and the highway patrolman did not know Jesus Christ in the least, but Larry prayed for him and he invited him to church for over a year. But a last to Larry's dismay, the highway patrolman was elusive and rebuffed the mechanic over and over again. Finally, one day, Larry invited the officer to an event that I was speaking at in Three Rivers Stadium. There were 55,000 men in Three Rivers Stadium in the old Pittsburgh Steelers day when they played at Three Rivers.

 

02:02          But during the event that day, the highway patrolman actually gave his heart to Christ along with thousands of other men. It was a crazy, amazing day in Pittsburgh. But you know what? That day, that highway patrol name has never been the same. His spiritual paralysis is gone. His sins are forgiven and he is a happy man today. So watch out! If you're driving down the road and you hear a helicopter overhead, it might be Larry and he probably will still give you a ticket. But you know what? Across America and around the world, friends are still bringing their paralyzed friends to Jesus. The same way those guys in Capernaum brought their friend, dug a hole in the roof and lowered their friend so that Jesus could heal that man and forgive his sins. You know what? Jesus is visiting your town today. Who do you know that needs a ride to see him?

 

02:59          And here's some questions for you today after this great passage. Friends, take friends to the movies. We know that. Friends take friends to sporting events. Why does so relatively few friends bring their friends to Jesus? And the second question is this. Who do you know? Who's the Larry in your life that needs to know Jesus today? Third question is this, over the next year, how can you lower your friends through the roof to see Jesus? And here's a thought for the day. When a family member is hurting, let him see or let her see Jesus in you.

Radically Saved! - Galatians 1:13-22

"You'll know them by their fruits."

Family Discussion:

• Describe the magnitude of God's love as shown through his willingness to adopt Paul, the biggest Christian hater of the day, as his son.
• Why does a true Christian or radically saved Christian follow Christ in all things forever?
• If you've fallen back into your old ways of living, how do you get back into becoming radically saved again?

Transcription:

00:06 Hey, if your faith needs encouragement today and you just feel how I feel like a lot of the times, just kinda down in the dumps about your faith, I hope this devotional encourages you today. It is certainly encouraging me. We're in Galatians chapter 1, we're going to do verse 13 through 22 and then verse 23; and it's the apostle Paul talking, this is incredible. He says this, "for you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the Church of God beyond measure. And I tried to even destroy it and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries, among my countryman being more extremely zealous from my ancestral traditions." And of course we know that Paul even persecuted Christians before he met Christ, but we're going to verse 15. He said, "but when God who had set me free apart even from my mother's womb and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his son to me so that I might preach him among the gentiles. I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem, to those who were the apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia, return once more to Damascus. Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephus and stayed with him for 15 days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. Now what I'm writing to you, I assure you before God than I am not lying. Then I went into the regions of Syria and Silica and was still unknown by the sight of the Churches of Judea, which were in Christ."

02:01 If I could just paint the picture for you real quick. Paul was the most hated of all by Christians. He was probably the meanest guy in the world, the Christians. But Paul was completely, radically saved. Folks, I've seen this happen before my eyes more times than I can describe. I'll never forget this baseball player named Scott who came by to visit me. This guy was radically lost. He had overseen three abortions. They were his fault. He had married this stripper and divorced and his life was an absolute mess. But somehow in my office that day, that young man was radically saved. You know what he's doing today? That guy is helping to run a youth care facility and he is leading kids to Christ, kids who've been thrown away by society. I was in a college event the other night and there were probably a thousand students who came to the cross. The quarterback of the football team, a very successful college quarterback, led a girl down to the cross. And probably if you would've looked at this girl, you'd have said that there's probably never been a guy who's ever spoken a nice word to that girl in her life. That girl was probably the most outcast girl in that whole student body. That quarterback who had been radically saved, led that girl by the hand in front of the whole portion of the student body that was at that event. He led her down to the cross and he led her to Christ. Radically saved man, you'll do anything. I have a friend who was beaten by his dad. Beaten severely, by his dead. When he grew up, he became a Christian. He went home and forgave his dad and he led his dad to Christ. And he walked with his dad for the last 14 years of his life as best friends. Radically saved, changes everything.

03:44 Here's the questions for today. Describe the magnitude of God's love as shown through his willingness to adopt Paul, the biggest Christian hater of the day as his son. And then why does a true Christian or radically saved Christian follow Christ in all things forever? Then, if you've fallen back into your old ways of living, how do you get back into becoming radically saved again? And then the lifeline of the day is Matthew 7:16. It says you'll know them by their fruits and home is with place to show those fruits that you have in your life because of Christ.

The Resurrection as Fact! - 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

"The resurrection of Jesus is the pinnacle of our faith. Our faith rises and falls on the resurrection."

Family Discussion:

• Just name three or four evidences for the resurrection and what you can stake your faith on.
• Describe how the resurrection of Christ gives you hope.

Transcription:

00:14 My favorite possession, out of everything that I own is this little book right here. It follows me everywhere I go in my hip pocket. It'd been carrying it for decades, made it out of Pigskin, from Tandy leather company. It is just a little New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs in there, and I love this book. But the pinnacle of this book, the absolute central focus of this book, spotlights on this verse that we're looking at today. It's in First Corinthians Chapter 15, starting in verse 3. This is what it's all about. Paul says this, "for what I received, I passed on to you as a first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures, that he appeared to Peter. And then to the Twelve; after that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time [most of whom were still living when he wrote that, and some have fallen asleep]. Then he appeared to James then to all the apostles. And last of all, he appeared to me also as one abnormally born."

01:23 The resurrection of Jesus is the pinnacle of our faith. Our faith rises and falls on the resurrection. And I am absolutely certain that the resurrection is the most historically proven fact in all of classical literature because there are six or seven evidences of the resurrection that you can stake your life on. One, the man was crucified according to Roman law and was dead at the crucifixion. Two Roman coroners, according to Roman law, would examine the lifeless body after he'd been dragged down off the cross, they would sign his death certificate, and if they were incorrect in their assessment of his death, they'd be crucified for their mistakes. So he was dead. Secondly, he was buried in a private grave of Joseph of Aramathea. Thirdly, he was wrapped according to Jewish custom in a cloth and about a hundred pounds of spices and then mummified for his burial.

02:23 Then a very large stone was rolled against the tomb, and scientific studies have been done of that stone. It was one and a half to two tons in size a stone that 20 men couldn't have moved. It was a sealed with the Roman seal according to Roman law, with two leather straps at a clay pack with a seal of Rome in anyone who broke the Roman seal, according to Roman Law, would be crucified for breaking the seal. And, and then it was guarded with either the room and guard, which was a guard of 12 to 16 highly trained men, trained to fend to a piece of ground against an entire invading army, or it was guarded by the Jewish Temple Guard that, the penalty if any one of the Jewish Temple Guard went to sleep, they were all burned alive in a fire started with their own clothing.

03:14 Something happened in that tomb on Sunday morning; something happened that turned 11 cowards into heroes. 10 of the 11 died martyr's deaths. Something happened on a Sunday morning that changed the world. And the only possible scientific and historical explanation is the resurrection of Jesus. Men and women, Jesus is alive. And he is absolutely, certainly the man he claimed to be - Son of God, Son of man, Messiah. You can stake your eternity on it. And here's the questions today. After what we talked about today, just name three or four evidences for the resurrection and what you can stake your faith on. And then, in just a few words with whoever you're watching this devotional with, describe how the resurrection of Christ gives you hope. And here's the lifeline for the day. If you were the defendant in this case, and it was a legal case and you are trying to prove the resurrection was false, what would you do to prove it was false? And there's somebody else that can defend the resurrection and tell you why they know scientifically the resurrection was absolutely a fact.

Multiplying Miracle - John 6:5-13

That kid saw a miracle happen as Jesus took a few little fish and just a few little loaves and fed 5,000 with 12 baskets left over.

Family Discussions:

1. What do you think the lad was thinking that day?
2. If Jesus can do that with the lunch, what could he do if you gave him your whole entire life?
3. What do you possess that's difficult to give Jesus today?
4. What will happen if you give it to him? 

Episode Transcription:

00:14 Today I want to share a story with you about the coolest little kid in the Bible, and it comes from John chapter six, verses five through 13, and it says this, "Therefore, Jesus lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to him said to them, and he said to Philip specifically, 'Where are we to buy bread so that these may eat?' This He was saying to test him for he himself knew what he was intending to do. Philip answered and said to him, '200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them for everyone to receive a little.' One of his disciples, Andrew Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 'There's a lad here who has five loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people.' Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place so the men sat down in number about 5,000. After giving thanks, He distributed to those who were seated. Likewise, also the fish as much as they wanted. When they were finished, He said to the disciples, 'Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.' So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets of fragments from five barley loaves, which are left over by those who had eaten them."

01:37 Can you imagine how you'd feel if you were the lad with that little sack lunch that day? Can you picture sitting there with those big strong fishermen, you know, looking down at you and saying, "Hey kid, the master wants your lunch!"? You know, you'd been sitting there for hours listening to this man teach, and I know from the raising of men, little kids get hungry. You know, little kids don't give lunches away to strangers when their stomach is growling. You know, I imagine I can just only imagine that he was looking around and wondering why he was the only one with a mom thoughtful enough to pack his lunch. You know, "where is everyone else's lunch," he probably thought. You know, "why are you picking on me?" Anyway, whatever happened, he gave the lunch up and then that kid saw a miracle happen as Jesus took a few little fish and just a few little loaves and fed 5,000 with 12 baskets left over. I just wonder, I just wonder, if that little kid might've thought, as he saw Jesus take a few pieces of bread and just a few pieces of fish out of his tiny lunch sack, if he thought to himself, "Wow, if he can do that with my lunch, I wonder what he could do with me if I gave him my whole life."

02:59 And here's the questions for today. What do you think the lad was thinking that day? And secondly, if he can do that with the lunch, what could he do if you gave him your whole entire life? And then lastly, what do you possess that's difficult to give Jesus today? And what will happen if you give it to him? Here's the lifeline for the day. You know, in that miracle, there were 12 baskets full leftover. What does that have to say about our God?