II Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Only 5 loaves of bread and two small fish

My reading today included Matthew 14:15-21. A great
crowd followed Jesus and as it grew later in the day His
disciples went to Him and told Him to send the people
away so they could go and buy food.

Jesus said, "Where can we buy bread for these people?"
Philip said, "Eight months' wages wouldn't buy enough
for them to enough have one small bite."

Andrew brought a boy to Jesus. "Here's a boy who has
5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, but how far will
that go among this crowd?"

Jesus blessed the bread and broke it. The disciples
handed it out and all the people (5,000 men and also
women and children) ate and were satisfied. They even
took up 12 baskets full of leftovers. Amazing.

I happened to think about how we feel that whatever
we have just isn't enough to serve Jesus with. We look
at someone else's talents and say I can't do anything.
What can I do? I don't have any talents or this person
could do it better. We're filled with fear and afraid to
hand over to Jesus our meager offerings.

What do you have today that you could turn over to
Jesus? He can do amazing things with our lives when
we're willing to let Him.

I remember as a child hearing of a woman who didn't
feel as if she could teach someone about Jesus, but she
could bake pies. When someone was new to town, or
illness in the family, or needed encouragement she
took them a pie. She showed Christ through her life of
service.

When we lived in Africa we had a pickup. We had
several of the teachers there who could drive and we
felt confident to let them drive when there was a need,
such as a funeral or a wedding or someone from school
was sick and needed to go to town.

What do you have to give to Jesus for His use? I think
this is a great thought about how to start out the new
year. Start praying that He can use you and that He'll
make clear the opportunities before you.

Remember what a shepherd boy named David did with
5 stones and a sling or how about Moses and his rod.
What's He going to do with your life this year? Wow. I
can hardly wait to see.

2 comments:

Serendipitymom12 said...

Wonderful post! It's perfect for me today. My mom and I couldn't find a ministry to be a part of at church since we are hearing impaired, but we started our own very recently! We can crochet and God has given us a heart for the homeless. We are making many crochet blankets and gathering others who can help at Needles for the Needy (will post that on my blog very soon!!)

carmen uy said...

This reading also reminds us that "God will provide". God will give us the grace of providing for our needs but we have to cooperate with this grace by working for our keep. We can't just do nothing and wait. We have to put in something. Jesus did not just create food from nothing in this reading. It started with five loaves and two small fish which Christ multipled for the crowd.

What can we do for our part? I am blessed with the talent of being able to coordinate events and meetings through the telephone. I am blessed to have offered this apostolate of coordinating our Bible Study since 1995. With God's graces, this Bible group is still meeting once a week up to the present. We can offer our services to God and our fellowmen and blessings will come in other ways.

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