Abundance

It's funny how you can read the same passage over and over, and still discover something new about it.

This morning I was reading John 6, where Jesus feeds the 5,000+ crowd with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. What struck me today, in this story that I've heard since I was old enough to remember, was verse 11:

"Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and passed them out to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate until they were full." (emphasis mine)

Jesus could have simply given the people enough food to keep their stomachs from growling, enough to tide them over til they went home for a real meal. But he gave them enough to fill their bellies. Enough to satisfy them. And beyond that, there were still twelve baskets full of leftovers (vs. 13).

The footnote in my Bible reads: "There is a lesson in the leftovers. God gives in abundance. He takes whatever we can offer him in time, ability, or resources and multiplies its effectiveness beyond our wildest expectations. If you take the first step in making yourself available to God, he will show you how greatly you can be used to advance the work of his Kingdom."

It's amazing how God can do so much with so little, if we only offer it to Him!