Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture – “Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish. Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”-Mark 6:36-44
Thought of the day- Have you ever felt completely unworthy in serving the Lord? Have you ever felt like you had nothing to offer? I certainly have. But the Good News is that we are not alone. In the scripture above from Mark 6:36-44 Jesus teaches His disciples a very valuable lesson that applies to us as well. Simply bring what you can in faith, and Jesus will do the rest! Even when it seems woefully inadequate, Jesus can use our seemingly feeble acts of faith to do miracles! In the story above, the disciples are worried about feeding the 5,000 people who have gathered on a hillside, far away from the City, to hear Jesus teach. The disciples are thinking only in human terms. They see it’s getting late, people are hungry, and all they have is 5 loaves of bread and two small fish. They are doing the math in their head and it’s not adding up. There is a huge shortage! Then they come to Jesus looking for Him to do something and they are probably shocked at His response. He simply says you feed them! What? How can we? There is no store, we have no money and what we have will maybe feed 25 people if lucky, not 5,000. Have you ever felt like this? There is just no way through the situation. I can’t solve this problem, it is just too great. I lack the resources and the capabilities to fix it, whatever it is. It could be a financial situation, a broken relationship, a medical illness, or the death of a loved one.
But here’s the point: With Jesus there is always a way. He wants to partner with us, to accomplish great goals and He needs us to be all in because He wants to do great things through us. Notice He doesn’t just do a miracle when the disciples come complaining to him in fear about not having the resources to feed the multitudes. He invites them in as active partners when He says “ you feed them.” He then asks them what they have to offer- in this case two small fish and 5 loaves. It doesn’t seem enough. But when we bring what we have and give it all to Him, then Jesus moves mightily to provide the miracles. We must move first, even if it can lead us to feeling ridiculous. The disciples felt ridiculous with the little they had to offer. But their part in the assignment was demanded of them when Jesus told them basically to give Him all they had. Even after He blessed the fish and the bread and broke it, He still had them distribute the food. So in essence, they were still doing what He had initially said to them: You feed them! When they then witnessed this miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, they would always know that they had been partners with Jesus. He was preparing them for when He would no longer be with them. If they would trust Him with all they had, He would never embarrass them or leave them unable to complete a task. If Jesus calls you to accomplish something, that He will equip you to carry out the assignment but we must be active partners with him. Having seen this miracles first hand, the disciples could never come to Jesus from a position of lack again. Lack was not a word in Jesus’s vocabulary. He had taught them firsthand that whatever they can offer, it will always be enough.
That is great news for me and you as well. When we bring whatever we can to a situation, be it time, talent or treasure, if we bring it in Jesus’s name and for the good of other people, it will always be enough even when all of our human wisdom is telling us it is not. Jesus is the way maker and miracle worker. He can rescue us from any situation, but we have to lay it all down at His feet before He will move in our lives. Many times we are waiting for Him to act, but in reality He is waiting for us to move first. Bring Him your metaphorical two fish and five loaves and see what miracle He can do with it!
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