A Gut Feeling

A Gut Feeling
Words of Faith 12-15-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Mark 6
[32] So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. [33] But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. [34] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

I earned money in high school and college by working at Walt Disney World. Part of my job required spending some time on top of the iconic Castle at the center of the Magic Kingdom. It is quite a view atop the Castle and one enjoyed by only a few. I recall looking at the crowds of people from around the world in search of family amusement. Thousands of people could be seen roaming about the park, eating, spending money, and standing in lines. I often found myself wondering how many of them knew Jesus. How many had eternal life? Not knowing the answer to that question, I often would silently pray for them. Other times, I would pray aloud for them.
Jesus looked at the crowds one day in Galilee. He completely understood the same questions I had pondered atop the Castle at Disney World. The Scripture says that He had "compassion" on them. We don't want to misunderstand. This compassion was more than a feeling of pity. It was something from deep inside.
The Greek word is splagchnizomai, from which we get the word "spleen" and describes a powerful feeling at the core of a person, what we might call a "gut feeling." Literally, Jesus was "moved in the gut" powerfully as He gazed upon a great crowd of lost souls who were like sheep without a shepherd. He had the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when someone tells you about a tragic event or impending disaster.
Why? The compassion of Christ was in response to the apparent fact that those in the crowd were like sheep without a shepherd. Could that be so bad? I don't know what a sheep is like without a shepherd. I have not been around sheep enough to know.
Those who work around sheep describe them as rather passively needy animals. Without the guidance of a shepherd, a sheep will get very thirsty and probably quite hungry. Some have said sheep are "stupid" but that is a strong word. Without a shepherd, a sheep will probably be cold at night because they do not have the sense to go into a pen on their own.
Perhaps most concerning is that, without a shepherd, a sheep is vulnerable to attack by wild animals. Sheep are not defensive animals. Without a shepherd, a sheep is not long for this world because of the many predators, particularly wolves. That may be why Jesus was moved so deeply. He saw the impending disaster. Jesus knew the consequences. He might have chosen to pray for them as I did, but instead, He taught them. He brought them the Word of God.
When you look around at the masses of people, what do you see? Do you see an annoyance? An intrusion? Or do you sheep without a shepherd? Do you see sheep in great danger of starvation or dehydration? Do you see sheep in danger of attack by vicious enemies?
The truth is that if we have the heart of God, we will be moved deeply. And if we have the response of God, we will very likely teach people or seek to reach people so that they will be found by the Shepherd. Perhaps in some simple or formal way, we will bring God's Word because we know that His Word changes things. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Word does not return to Him empty.
As I look back on my days working at Walt Disney World, I now realize that God was calling me into ministry even at that time. The shape of that call was still unformed, but the heart of God was being revealed to me.

Lord, give me Your eyes for the people of this world around me. Give me Your heart for those who are lost. Give me Your compassion for those around me. Give me Your Word to share. In Jesus' name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< ><> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.