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Giving what you have

The dedicated crew of volunteers, onboard the Africa Mercy, come from over 40 nations and represent all walks of life. Josh Young, the Food Services Manager, describes his job:

“Here on the ship I can use the gifts, talents and abilities that God has supplied me with to further the work of this community. I’ll never be able to do surgery on a patient with a large tumour or rebuild a dental clinic, but I can plan, supply, cook, serve and clean up after a meal that gives others the ability to do that. I know an army marches on its stomach, and the level of food served can make a big difference on the morale of the crew.

In today’s first passage we read of the well-known miracle: the feeding of the five thousand. The crowds are gathered to be spiritually fed by Jesus’ teaching, and it’s important to note that Jesus also had compassion for the physical needs of the crowd that gathered to listen to him. The disciple Phillip wants to dismiss the crowd as he sees no way to feed all the people. Peter sees potential in what a small boy has, but the food on offer is nowhere near enough to feed the huge crowd. 

This is often how we feel when we see the great needs set before us:  how can such a small amount of our time, our money, or our skills, make an ounce of difference? Yet Jesus takes the small amount that the boy has, he blesses it and then miraculously it feeds everyone in the crowd. There’s even leftovers! This passage teaches us to offer what little we have to Jesus, and somehow he then takes it, blesses it and uses it to bless others. We need to give what we have to God and place it in the hands of Jesus!

Call to action - How will you give what you have to Jesus today?  What will you do differently when you are confronted with a ‘multitude of need’?  What gift or skill could you offer Jesus, for Him to bless and multiply?