2026 Christmas Gift Guide
2026 Christmas Gift Guide
A Devotional for Tired Ministers
The following is a devotional reading from Immanuel: The Story of Jesus, God with Us, a beautifully illustrated book filled with the dramatic art of Robert Doares accompanied by Scripture and brief devotional insights from bestselling author Paul David Tripp.
Feeding the Five Thousand
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. —Matthew 14:14–21
Immanuel
Paul David Tripp
Fifty-four museum-quality illustrations, with accompanying devotions from Paul David Tripp, brilliantly depict the life, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.
Reflection
It must have been exhausting being a disciple of Jesus. They were constantly on the move, performing miracles, teaching, and dealing with endless crowds of needy people. Finally, it appeared these men would get a moment of respite as Jesus withdrew with them to Bethsaida. But the peace and quiet would not last long. So much for the rest the disciples were hoping for! This is the nature of ministering to broken people. As an ambassador for Christ, no longer is your life ruled by your wants, comforts, and feelings. You are now called to be part of what God is doing on earth, and there’s no such thing as ministry without sacrifice.
Of course, rest is wise and necessary, but as long as sin remains inside of you, ministry will be hard because sin makes us self-focused. The sin of those you are ministering to also makes ministry hard, but the nature of sin will by default orient our hearts to us. If your eyes ever see and your ears ever hear the sin, weakness, and failure of another person, it’s never an interruption, it’s never an obstacle, and it’s never a hassle. It’s always grace! What was Christ’s response? He welcomed the crowd. May we grow in patience as we welcome the needy we minister to, as Christ has welcomed us in our need!
This article is adapted from Immanuel: The Story of Jesus, God with Us by Paul David Tripp.
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