Give What You Have
Give What You Have - Jesus had Compassion on the People
Jesus was 100% God and 100% man while He was here on earth. As a result He could identify fully and feel all that humans feel. He had same emotions that we have and experience.
From the previous account, we saw that king Herod had beheaded John the Baptist. John was Jesus’ cousin, so like us He was grieving his loss. It says, “13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.” Matthew 14:13. Jesus was not afraid of Herod because Herod could not do anything to Jesus and Jesus’ time ordained by the Father had not come.
I believe Jesus went away to spend time in prayer and to process His grieve. We can learn from Jesus to grieve properly and take time to sort it out with God. Your loss may be a relative passing or job or some big expectation, grief will set in and it should be processed. We must give it to the Father who understands why. Don’t be afraid to ask God all the why questions you have but know and be assured that He understands and He is there to comfort us as we trust Him.
Too bad the crowd did not leave Jesus alone when he needed it. However, Jesus’ needs could not stop him from ministering. Watch out for ministry opportunities when you are at your lowest points. In fact it will speed up your recovery when you remove the focus on self to others.
The people were hungry so Jesus feeds them as the Father cares for His children. Nothing is impossible for God, not even a remote place like a wilderness/dry where there is no restaurants. Let’s not limit God by what we can see or what we have in our hands. God will use whatever we have, even the five loaves and two fishes. We walk by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith (See Hebrew 11).
What do you have in your hands and what excuses have you for not reaching out to people around you? We are only responsible and accountable for what we have. You must use it or lose it. When we use it for God, there is also an over flow. Look at the amount of left overs, “they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.”
May we be the people who live like our Jesus. May we be people of compassion who slow down to observe and listen to people around us to see their true needs. May we be people who will obey the voice of the Holy Spirit to help people where they are instead of criticizing them. May we see the true needs of people and present them Jesus who is what we all need regardless of status.
Give people what you have today. You have Jesus. Give them Jesus Christ the Savior and any material thing the Lord leads you to give. Amen.
Matthew 14: Feeding the Five Thousand
13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus was 100% God and 100% man while He was here on earth. As a result He could identify fully and feel all that humans feel. He had same emotions that we have and experience.
From the previous account, we saw that king Herod had beheaded John the Baptist. John was Jesus’ cousin, so like us He was grieving his loss. It says, “13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.” Matthew 14:13. Jesus was not afraid of Herod because Herod could not do anything to Jesus and Jesus’ time ordained by the Father had not come.
I believe Jesus went away to spend time in prayer and to process His grieve. We can learn from Jesus to grieve properly and take time to sort it out with God. Your loss may be a relative passing or job or some big expectation, grief will set in and it should be processed. We must give it to the Father who understands why. Don’t be afraid to ask God all the why questions you have but know and be assured that He understands and He is there to comfort us as we trust Him.
Too bad the crowd did not leave Jesus alone when he needed it. However, Jesus’ needs could not stop him from ministering. Watch out for ministry opportunities when you are at your lowest points. In fact it will speed up your recovery when you remove the focus on self to others.
The people were hungry so Jesus feeds them as the Father cares for His children. Nothing is impossible for God, not even a remote place like a wilderness/dry where there is no restaurants. Let’s not limit God by what we can see or what we have in our hands. God will use whatever we have, even the five loaves and two fishes. We walk by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith (See Hebrew 11).
What do you have in your hands and what excuses have you for not reaching out to people around you? We are only responsible and accountable for what we have. You must use it or lose it. When we use it for God, there is also an over flow. Look at the amount of left overs, “they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.”
May we be the people who live like our Jesus. May we be people of compassion who slow down to observe and listen to people around us to see their true needs. May we be people who will obey the voice of the Holy Spirit to help people where they are instead of criticizing them. May we see the true needs of people and present them Jesus who is what we all need regardless of status.
Give people what you have today. You have Jesus. Give them Jesus Christ the Savior and any material thing the Lord leads you to give. Amen.
Matthew 14: Feeding the Five Thousand
13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
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