Spend It Out

This, however, is not the way of faith, the way of humility. Read “Jesus Feeds the 5000″ in Matthew 14:13-21.–The disciples had enough in their midst to serve those men, women and children. They didn’t need to “send the crowds away.” (v. 15)–They brought what they had to Jesus. They put the bread and fish into His hands. (v. 17)–He blessed it and gave it back to them andthey did the work of the Kingdom. (v. 19b)– As they gave it away it multiplied. It didn’t multiply before they started, it multiplied only as they served the people.–Everyone was served. Everyone ate. Everyone was satisfied.

1. When what we have to offer goes through the hands of Jesus first and receives His blessing, there will always be enough, and those we serve will “eat and be satisfied.” (v. 20)
2. There will always be enough, but only as we spend it out. Those loaves and fish did not increase in a pile by the disciples feet and then they passed them out. The increase came as they walked among the people handing out dinner, loaf by loaf, fish by fish.
3. This is a trust issue and a humility issue. We don’t get the pile of what we need and think, Phew! God came through and now we’re good to go. We begin with the little we bring and believe with every step, every offer of a piece of time, resource, energy, dollar, that God will provide for the next man, the next woman, the next family. We trust and believe Jesus for the increase, as we go along. That’s humility.
4. Each family, greater faith as the disciples reached into their baskets and touched more! And reaching in again and touching more again! Can you feel the gratitude and trust building, with each reach, thinking that this time they’ll touch the bottom of the basket? But no! There’s more! And actually, they never reach the bottom because there were 12 baskets of leftovers! 12! One for each disciple so even they could see the faithfulness of Jesus and the power of God. Amazing God!
5. The increase happens as we are doing the work of service, doing the work of giving and loving and having mercy on those in our communities, our spheres of influence.

Jesus did the supernatural work when He blessed the bread and the fish. And as the disciples served it to the people, the increase came. Only as they moved among the 1000’s of people, in that desolate place, at the end of that long day, did the increase come. God imparts the miraculous, but we as the people of God, the community of faith, are called to spend it out. Our responsibility is to serve and care for and feed the crowds in our midst, beginning with what we already have. Don’t ever overlook the practical while waiting for the supernatural. Just do the next thing. Just get to work. Just spend it out. God will provide the increase. There will be enough. With leftovers.