All 4 Books of the Gospels mention Jesus feeding the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14). We marvel at the power of Jesus in this miracle, but have we ever thought where the 5 loaves and 2 fishes came from?
Only in John, is it mentioned that "There s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.." (John 6:9). Could Jesus not have performed the miracle and fed the crowd without the what the boy had to offer? Jesus clearly"knew what he would do" (6:6). So why did Jesus need the 5 loaves and 2 fishes?
What a privilege it is for us to be able to serve the Lord! He allows us to offer willingly what limited gifts we have so that we can be a blessing to those around us and more importantly, to bring glory to His name.
Many may be afraid to step up and serve, because they're afraid that they do not have the necessary experience or gifts or talents to be able to serve. But let us learn from the example of the boy who offered the 5 loaves and 2 fishes he had. We serve and offer up our gifts and lives to Him, not because His kingdom cannot do without it, but because of our love for God.
Very often when we watch period dramas, we see many warriors willingly lay down their lives for their kings to fight the war. We may think why? Don't they think of the sorrow their family experiences should he perish on the battlefield? What difference would one soldier make on the battlefield? They are willing to sacrifice, because of their love for the country, the king and to gain favour in the king's eyes.
If we are willing to lay down our lives for the soverignty of our earthly country, what more for God's eternal kingdom? May we not be intimidated by our inadequacies, because we will never be adequate anyway, so that we may not boast of our gifts and talents; but be willing to offer whatever we have, however little and small, to be of use to God and to be a blessing unto others.
"Take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
No gift is too small" ~ Five Loaves and Two Fishes, Corrinne May
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNxw90Ayl74
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)