Friday, September 27, 2013

It's what you Don't See that really counts…


In the Bible we see Christ providing bread spiritually and physically for His followers time and time again. He loving cares for all our needs. However, when the physical bread was not at first visible, and the disciples were faced with thousands of hungry followers, their first thought was to send the crowds away. All they saw was the visible, or lack of visible resources. But we must learn from their experience that it’s not what we see that matters.

Is God up in heaven looking down upon His hungry children and saying, “Oh no! The need is too great. I really want to feed them, and I want the gospel to go to the whole world, but I simply cannot do it. I don’t have enough power or enough bread for all their need!” Is God saying this? No, of course not!

“When you give what you have to God, He multiplies it. Not only does he multiple 5 loaves and 2 small fishes so they equal feeding 5,000. But the disciples ended up with more leftovers than they had food to begin with. The lesson is simple, if you put what little you have in your hand into the hand of God, it won’t just add up. God will multiply it.”[i]

Inspiration tells us, “By faithfulness in little duties, we are to work on the plan of addition, and God will work for us on the plan of multiplication.”[ii] When Jesus prayed, the invisible resources became visible. Faith was the converting power and it will be the same for us today. The outward appearances may be unpromising. We may have what seem to be insurmountable challenges within our family, church, or ministries, but if there is a lack, it’s not because of lack of resources. It is because of lack of faith, for “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.”[iii]

[Excerpts taken from our upcoming book, Daring to Ask for More - Chapter 3]

[i] Mark Batterson, Circle Maker, p. 51
[ii] Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 360
[iii] Acts of the Apostles, p. 145

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