As we mature as believers our
understanding of God’s Word should grow as well. A deeper understanding of the
Word of God can only occur if we spend time hearing, reading, studying,
memorizing, and meditating on it. Next week we'll be having a VBS at my church.
It's where a lot of us learned many Bible stories. One of my favorites is the
account of Jesus feeding over 5,000 people. We learned as children about Jesus’
love, using a little boy’s lunch, and the great miracle that followed. By
digging deeper into this passage we can learn Biblical truths that give us
direction, and help us grow in Christ.
We can learn lessons in
giving, receiving, and blessings when we are doing God’s work. First we must be
willing to give whole heartedly to the work of the Lord. The boy in this story
gave all he had to Jesus. In his eyes and those around him it sure didn’t seem
like much, but because of his faithfulness, and belief that Christ can truly do
all things, something unexpected was about to occur. In our lives, we may feel
that what we have to give isn’t much, but when we give it all to Him, heaven
rejoices. What in your life do you need to turn over to the Lord for His
kingdom’s work? He is waiting for you.
If you notice, Jesus didn’t go
looking for food, but accepted what was offered to Him. God is funny like that.
He told a group of church people one time that after a poor widow gave a couple
of coins in the collection plate that she was the greatest giver. Why? Because
she gave all she had. Jesus wants us to give our gifts of service, money,
talents, and resources to do His work. When we have that same giving heart as
the widow, God will accept it, multiply it, and allow us have it back to use it
in ways we can never imagine.
Jesus took the fish and
loaves and blessed them, and then He gave it to the people there. The disciples
distributed the food, everyone ate all they could, and there were 12 baskets of
leftovers! When Jesus blesses what we have entrusted to Him, it will come back
to us many times over. Just think about what God can do with your offering.
Probably something we could never expect, but we will be amazed at what He can
do through willing followers. Amen?
