Matthew 15:32-39
But Jesus wasn’t finished with
them. He called his disciples and said, “I hurt for these people. For
three days now they’ve been with me, and now they have nothing to eat. I
can’t send them away without a meal—they’d probably collapse on the
road.”
His disciples said, “But where in this deserted place are you going to dig up enough food for a meal?”
Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”
“Seven
loaves,” they said, “plus a few fish.” At that, Jesus directed the
people to sit down. He took the seven loaves and the fish. After giving
thanks, he divided it up and gave it to the people. Everyone ate. They
had all they wanted. It took seven large baskets to collect the
leftovers. Over four thousand people ate their fill at that meal. After
Jesus sent them away, he climbed in the boat and crossed over to the
Magadan hills.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
After
the Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Alcorn State on October 1st, Coach
Bret Bielema settled in to revel in the victory with his wife, Jen. The
relaxation and celebration were short-lived. While dining out, the
Bielemas received a call from Marty Ragnow, mother of Frank Ragnow, an
offensive lineman for the Razorbacks. Frank Ragnow’s 50-year-old
father, Jon, had suffered a heart attack and died…and Marty wanted Coach
Bielema to be with Frank when she delivered the news.
Bret
Bielema found Frank Ragnow and sat with him as he took the devastating
call from his mother. And then Bret and Jen Bielema arranged for a
flight to Minnesota for Frank Ragnow to return to his family – and they
went along. The Bielemas did not have to do this. Surely they had
other things on their agenda. But Bret Bielema understood how important
this was…because teammates had crammed into a van to accompany him home
from Iowa when his sister, Betsy, died. Bret Bielema had subsequently
traveled with other players to the homes of their grieving families when
tragedy struck. While this might seem like “more than enough”…Bielema
knows that it is simply the right thing to do.
There is a lesson
here for us as Christians. When is it “more than enough”…and what does
this really mean? Jesus knew that the people who had followed Him were
not just hungry – they were famished. They had gone without food for
three days. So Jesus did what He could…He took the seven loaves and a
few fish, gave thanks to God, and started to feed the people. And in
the end, there was more than enough food for everyone.
Didn't
Jesus do the math? Why didn’t the rations come out exactly even? After
all, we’re talking about the Son of GOD here! To me, there are two
points to this “excess.” 1)God is showing us that He can do abundantly
and exceedingly above all that we ask for or anticipate; and 2)Jesus
seems to be demonstrating that we should go the extra mile…do all we can
and trust God BIG for miracles and blessings – so big that we end up
with more than enough. We should go above and beyond and over the top -
and never offer just what is “adequate.”
It would have been
“adequate” for Bret Bielema to sit with Frank Ragnow, hug his neck, and
maybe arrange for a flight home. But not only did Bret Bielema do more
by physically traveling to Minnesota with this young man…his wife, Jen,
went along, too! How often do we drop what we are doing to meet the needs of someone else?
Surely
Jesus was tired that day at Lake Galilee. I have no doubt that He was
weary from teaching, healing and traveling. But Jesus stopped to show
love and concern for His people and their profound hunger…and then He
FED them!
Are we feeding the people in our midst? Are we ready
and willing to drop everything and minister to someone else? Will we
faithfully look in the basket of seven loaves and a few fish and believe
that we can meet the needs of more than 4000 people – and have “more
than enough” left over?
Will we serve God above and beyond our
ability and what seems to be the obvious disconnect – and deliver “more
than enough?” Don’t you think we should?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label more than enough. Show all posts
Showing posts with label more than enough. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for January 21, 2012
Proverbs 23:1-3
When you are invited to eat with a king, use your best manners. Don't go and stuff yourself! That would be just the same as cutting your throat. Don't be greedy for all of that fancy food! It may not be so tasty.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was in high school, my parents scraped together enough money to buy me a used car. My parents both worked, and my mom also commuted nearly every day to UCA to attend classes toward her degree in education, so their vehicles were always in use. We needed a way for me to get myself and my sister and brother to school and back – and anywhere else we needed to go. So my dad found a little pale green Dodge Lancer that he thought would fill the bill.
I can’t recall the exact year of my Lancer, but it was probably between 1962 and 1965… and it was in sad shape. We talked about how to fix it up… a new coat of paint would surely help wonders. So I began dreaming of the paint color… a nice blue, or maybe even white. I went to band camp for two weeks, and when I returned, my dad had painted the car… the same ugly pale green as the original color. I was crushed. His reasoning was that it was cheaper to repaint the same color than to choose a new one. So for the next year or so until I married and went off to college, I was stuck with what we dubbed, “The Green Weenie.”
That awful car got us back and forth to school. It carried me over the roads and back to UCA the summer I married, so that I could get a jump start on college. It had a “three on the tree” (for you youngsters, that means it had a manual transmission, and I shifted three forward gears with a gear stick on the steering column), and some days it didn’t want to start. But it got good gas mileage and served as fairly reliable transportation.
Today, I could probably buy virtually any car I want (within reason)… yet my vehicle of choice is now ten years old and has very few miles. Every time I think about buying a nice, new, shiny vehicle, I think of those who would give anything just to have a “Green Weenie,” and I can’t bring myself to do it. I have good, safe, reliable transportation. I’ve owned a sports car – and rarely drove it. Just as it is with lots of thing, the “new” wore off. Getting the car I’d dreamed of owning was almost as exciting as actually owning it.
What does this mean for us as Christians? So often, we are struck by the flash and sizzle of “things.” It’s like going to an all-you-can-eat-buffet and being so enamored of the beautiful array of food that we pile our plate completely full before we get past the salad options. We went into the restaurant needing to feed our body and satisfy our hunger, but we ended up stuffing ourselves miserable. A “Green Weenie” soup and sandwich would have fully nourished us, but we thought we had to have more.
And so it is with God. Often we overlook the wonderful – and more than ample – gift He has given us in salvation through Jesus and our daily blessings and abundance. We want more. We want “stuff” – and lots of it! We want big houses, high-paying jobs, fame and fortune and a chance to “run with the big dogs.” We even want to grow our churches to a membership of thousands… and we don’t have a clue how to handle such wealth. We come away full and miserable… confused and frustrated.
Today, I challenge you to settle in and sit for a while. Consider what you have… the richness in which you already live. Ask yourself, “Are my basic needs met? Do I have more than enough? What am I doing with the excess? How am I serving God out of my abundance? Will more of anything really satisfy me or make life better – for me and others?” Humbly ask God to show you where you already have enough… and how to use what is left over for His glory. If He blesses you with a “buffet” in any area of your life… ask Him to help you handle the riches according to His will. Know when to say “When!”… and how to manage whatever God gives you.
©2012 Debbie Robus
When you are invited to eat with a king, use your best manners. Don't go and stuff yourself! That would be just the same as cutting your throat. Don't be greedy for all of that fancy food! It may not be so tasty.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was in high school, my parents scraped together enough money to buy me a used car. My parents both worked, and my mom also commuted nearly every day to UCA to attend classes toward her degree in education, so their vehicles were always in use. We needed a way for me to get myself and my sister and brother to school and back – and anywhere else we needed to go. So my dad found a little pale green Dodge Lancer that he thought would fill the bill.
I can’t recall the exact year of my Lancer, but it was probably between 1962 and 1965… and it was in sad shape. We talked about how to fix it up… a new coat of paint would surely help wonders. So I began dreaming of the paint color… a nice blue, or maybe even white. I went to band camp for two weeks, and when I returned, my dad had painted the car… the same ugly pale green as the original color. I was crushed. His reasoning was that it was cheaper to repaint the same color than to choose a new one. So for the next year or so until I married and went off to college, I was stuck with what we dubbed, “The Green Weenie.”
That awful car got us back and forth to school. It carried me over the roads and back to UCA the summer I married, so that I could get a jump start on college. It had a “three on the tree” (for you youngsters, that means it had a manual transmission, and I shifted three forward gears with a gear stick on the steering column), and some days it didn’t want to start. But it got good gas mileage and served as fairly reliable transportation.
Today, I could probably buy virtually any car I want (within reason)… yet my vehicle of choice is now ten years old and has very few miles. Every time I think about buying a nice, new, shiny vehicle, I think of those who would give anything just to have a “Green Weenie,” and I can’t bring myself to do it. I have good, safe, reliable transportation. I’ve owned a sports car – and rarely drove it. Just as it is with lots of thing, the “new” wore off. Getting the car I’d dreamed of owning was almost as exciting as actually owning it.
What does this mean for us as Christians? So often, we are struck by the flash and sizzle of “things.” It’s like going to an all-you-can-eat-buffet and being so enamored of the beautiful array of food that we pile our plate completely full before we get past the salad options. We went into the restaurant needing to feed our body and satisfy our hunger, but we ended up stuffing ourselves miserable. A “Green Weenie” soup and sandwich would have fully nourished us, but we thought we had to have more.
And so it is with God. Often we overlook the wonderful – and more than ample – gift He has given us in salvation through Jesus and our daily blessings and abundance. We want more. We want “stuff” – and lots of it! We want big houses, high-paying jobs, fame and fortune and a chance to “run with the big dogs.” We even want to grow our churches to a membership of thousands… and we don’t have a clue how to handle such wealth. We come away full and miserable… confused and frustrated.
Today, I challenge you to settle in and sit for a while. Consider what you have… the richness in which you already live. Ask yourself, “Are my basic needs met? Do I have more than enough? What am I doing with the excess? How am I serving God out of my abundance? Will more of anything really satisfy me or make life better – for me and others?” Humbly ask God to show you where you already have enough… and how to use what is left over for His glory. If He blesses you with a “buffet” in any area of your life… ask Him to help you handle the riches according to His will. Know when to say “When!”… and how to manage whatever God gives you.
©2012 Debbie Robus
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