Almost everyone who has ever taken the energy, time and effort in reading the Bible walks away fascinated by the miracles of Jesus! These wonders, works, and signs were orchestrated by God to prove His ministers of the truth to the world! (Acts 8:6, NKJV). One of the most admired declarations in miraculous behavior dealt with God feeding the hungry and weary in those who listened to His Son’s earthly messages of hope through Him (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-15). What a manner of Man this was! His divine glory and manifest love towards us were continually on display, but especially in those seemingly simple things which we tend to minimize their impact.
First, and I believe foremost, it was a teachable moment for those He was mentoring (1 Peter 2:21). Secondly, it was meant as an everlasting example for those coming after (1 John 2:6). We often misapply or overlook the necessity to allow Him to lead our every step (2 Timothy 3:5). Lastly, we hold the capacity for MUCH GOOD when we work collectively as we see exampled in the Church we read about in the Scriptures (Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, Galatians 6:7-10, Ephesians 6:18, Hebrews 10:24-25).
Here stands the issue, and it is eerily like those who fell short in the first century. We have always forgotten what it means to be well fed! Like the disciples, we very often only see with human eyes (John 6:8-9). God is challenging us to “increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). We are limited by the constructs of our hearts and temporal ability of our minds to recognize the God of all possibilities (Genesis 18:4).
Not only did Jesus feed the 5000 (and later, another 4000), He allowed for a surplus of baskets filled with food proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that He could and would! (Malachi 3:10). How can we forsake such a loving provider? We should not, but we understand there are still those who will “serve” God what the “What’s in it for me?” brand of Christianity (John 6:26-27). To the rest, prayerfully, they are seeking “lasting” manna; the One who came from Heaven (John 6:58). Our hope is to be well fed in this life, yes, but also, and even more so, to be provided sustenance for an eternity having no longer need for physical things.
Think about these things,
Archie R. Green
0 Comments