With only 5 weeks left until years end it is time to stop and reflect, to think back with seriousness.Another year has past and what have we done to make our lives better, to make others better?
What can we do in the coming year to excel what we are seeing?
Preparation time is never wasted time, however, there comes a time to set out to new endeavors. To take what you have to work with and do something constructive. What is in your house? What do you have to offer?
Matthew 14:14-21
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Here we find Jesus, the disciples and the multitude of hungry people.
Jesus had ministered to their spiritual needs, He had administered healing, and now the people needed food for their bodies.
The disciples I am sure felt less than prepared for the feeding of multitudes, after all they seemed so ill prepared.
"All we have is five loaves and two fishes," was their thoughts and words. But there comes a time to set out to new endeavors with what you have.
They had five loaves and two fishes prepared. That did not seem like much. But when God is in a matter, what you have to offer will always be more than enough.
God is waiting for you to obey His voice when He says, bring to Me what you have ... let Me bless it ... let Me take what you have and multiply it.
In John's account of five loaves and two small fishes ... Phillip had said, "two hundred pennyworth of bread is not enough that everyone may just take a little." In other words Phillip was saying, "I don't see how we have enough prepared to feed these people." "I don't know how you could use this little bit that I have to offer to accomplish something so big."
Then Andrew piped up and said, "well, there is a small boy here with a prepared lunch in his hand, but it is only five loaves and two fishes and I don't see how that can possible be enough among so many." Andrew was seeing a little bit in the hands of a lad, but still he sided with the Phillip in his belief that what they had would never be enough.
You see at times it may seem like you are not very prepared for what Jesus has requested. Others may not see that what you have would ever be enough either, but with God all things are possible.
But the Faith of a child ... this little boy simply released what was in his hand to the disciples, the disciples released it to Jesus, and lives were changed. Not to mention that those who gave were both fed and multiplied.
From five little loaves and two small fishes, multitudes were fed, lives were changed, and the return was twelve full baskets of bread.
As you reflect back on year,
- Think about what you have in your hand.
- Think about how you may have withheld because you felt so ill prepared in 2009.
- Think about how you refused to do anything because you did not think what you had to offer would be enough.
- Then think about the Word of God here in the Gospel according to Matthew and John and how what you have can actually already be more than enough.
2010 is rushing in quickly. It is time to take some faith risk. Trust God with what you have to offer. Take what you have and allow the Lord to bless it; allow Him (through you) to change lives.
