Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
(Mark 6:38 (NIV))
Every believer is familiar with the miracle of how Jesus fed the masses with just five loaves of bread and two fish, but we fail to recognize the fact that it took the willingness to surrender these items so that Jesus could do what He did.
We aren’t told just where the five loaves and two fish came from, but you can easily apply human nature to whoever did supply them to Jesus. Did they think that if they gave them away, they wouldn’t have any for themselves? Did they extremely think selfish thoughts to the point where they were thinking or saying that these are mine and to go get your own? Can you imagine something like this being thought or ever said? Perhaps you have even thought or said something like this at some point in your life. It is not a difficult thing to imagine this sad twist of human nature happening during the events that this passage comes from, but it didn’t happen!
The five loaves and two fish were surrendered to the Lord to do with as He saw fit!
As we read further, we discover that what was given to Jesus was miraculously multiplied.
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 6:41-44 (NIV))
Not only was it multiplied to meet the needs of the moment, but an abundance of much more than was originally given for the need was collected after the fact!
It is true that the Lord can do anything, but He is looking for willing hearts. He is looking for willing hands to offer up the little that they have so that the Lord can multiply it for His purpose. We must not look upon this sacrifice as what we will lose, but rather, we must look upon it as what can we offer so that the Lord can be made manifest in the lives of others?
It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord can multiply our willing and meager gifts so that they glorify Him.
If you are willing, God will multiply!
Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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