~ The Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes ~
(Ref: The Gospel of John 6:1-13)
The little
boy with the loaves and the fishes gave all that he had away - without
reservation - not withholding. He was not concerned about his own
need. He only saw the need of others... and he responded by giving.
His faith and willingness to give was so much GREATER than the massive need
before him. He did not let the size of the need intimidate him, distract
him, or deter him. He just gave. He wanted to do all that he could
do, give all that he could give, and he heeded the call and God
responded! God multiplied the boy's offering to feed all that were
present and still there were basket fulls remaining. What a faithful God
we serve. He will take our little portion and multiply it to feed and
minister to multitudes to further His Kingdom.
If only we give to Him all that we have, all that we are, and step out
of the way - get our flesh, our way, our ideas, etc. - OUT OF THE WAY and let
God move and do what He wants to do with what we give Him.
The little boy's offering had to first be given /
submitted, and then Christ received it, blessed it, and broke it so it could be
distributed. The boy could have said - as many of us do in our hearts
- "No, it's not enough. I don't have enough. I don't have
much. How can I make a difference? I'm not very talented. I'm
not very gifted. I'm just little ole me. What I have to offer isn't
important. Besides, I only have a little bit, so why should I share
it? I'll just be stingy and hold on to it. Who would
know?" Well, God knows and God sees. He sees the willingness
of your heart. He sees your act of faith and He honors it. He
honors it in abundance, so don't hold back! Give ALL you have to God -
Everything! Give all your pain, your heartache, your life, your past,
present, future, your abilities, inabilities, everything. Give Him all
that you possess, all that you are, all that you hope to be; then stand back
and allow and watch Him bless it and feed the multitudes!
Remember, Jesus took the offering and entrusted it to His
disciples by instructing them to distribute it. Know that God will have
you serve by submitting to others. The little boy had to trust that the
disciples were going to honor God by honoring his offering/gift. He
didn't try to take it back once Jesus passed it on to the disciples. It
was a done deal! He had given it to Jesus. Therefore, it was no
longer his. The boy gave up “his say" as to how it would be
used. We must be willing to do the same if we are going to be used
mightily by God. Once we give all that we have to God, we must realize it
is no longer ours! It becomes His. Once we
give ALL THAT WE ARE to God, WE BECOME HIS! Let Him do as He
pleases. There's no better Hands for your life to be in than in the Hands
of the Lord. If someone who you have
submitted to mishandles or hurts you, then they will answer to God. We
still must "Praise God" and not wear the offense, but continue
on as a Soldier of the Cross. For a servant
is not greater than His master; if Jesus suffered persecution, we will to (ref.
John 19:20). Likewise, keep
in mind James 1:2-4: My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let
patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
nothing. (NKJV)
~July 2011
