Gathered Up

"When they were filled, He said to His disciples, 'Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.' So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.”

John 6:12-13

Jesus had fed the five thousand. The people had eaten until they were filled and there was still food leftover; twelve baskets full. When the Lord sees a need, He not only provides, He provides "abundantly beyond all we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). The Lord provides abundantly, but He is also concerned that nothing He gives be wasted. This goes not just for physical provision, but for the talents and abilities He has given us. They are to be gathered up and used for His glory. "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." We are abundantly blessed that He may be abundantly glorified.

The Free Lunch Bunch

Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 

John 6:26-27

Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the multitude. The next day the people came looking for Him, and Jesus -- always aware of what people are really seeking -- rebuked them. They were only coming to Him for another free lunch and He knew it. The Lord was willing to meet their physical needs. He already had done so the day before. But what He really wanted them to have was eternal life. Something they needed more than earthly food, and which only He could give. "Even when these people were witnesses to the incarnate God, they only wanted more of a show and not more of Him. This parallels people today who want a cheap, easy to swallow message but not the real Message of Truth that convicts and impacts. They want a God who dispenses cures to what we think ails us rather than the real cure to what really ails us—redemption (John 11:40; 1 Cor. 1:22)." -- R. J. Krejcir Ph.D. Into Thy Word Ministries

Expectant Faith

"When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing."

John 9:6-8

Jesus healed many people while He walked the earth, but not always in the same way. In this particular miracle, the Lord used saliva, dirt and water to bring sight to the blind man. There was no power in these material things, the healing power came from the will of Jesus Himself. When He works in the lives of people, the Lord doesn't follow a formula. There are as many different ways He accomplishes His purpose, as there are individuals. However, His will and our faith are always  involved. It was the Lord's will to heal the blind man, but it wouldn't have happened without the expectant faith he had to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. 

Little is Much in God's Hands

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." 

John 6:8-10a

Jesus' feeding of the 5,000, recorded in all four gospels, is one of the most well-known miracles in the Bible. A large crowd has followed Jesus for days, listening to His teaching and witnessing His healing of the sick. The Lord knows they are hungry and He intends to feed them. With the blink of His eye He could have produced 5,000 meals. But instead, He takes a young boy's lunch, blesses it and hands it to the disciples to distribute. It is more than they need. All the people eat their fill, with leftovers to be gathered. We know nothing about the boy, but I would imagine witnessing the miraculous multiplication of his lunch in the hands of the Savior changed his life forever. His sacrifice ministered to thousands of people and brought glory to God. What a wonderful example this is for us. If we are willing to give God what we have -- no matter what it is, no matter how small or limited it may seem to be -- He will take it, increase it, and use it for His kingdom and glory.