No One Is Insignificant

Have you ever felt too small, or too insignificant to be of any “real” use in the kingdom of God? Have you ever thought, “God could never use me.  I’m not like so-and-so who can teach children.  Or like so-and-so who can sing in the choir.” I think we all have felt that way at one time in our lives.  I invite you to read the following Scripture:

³⁵ By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him [Jesus]. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸ “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Mark 6:35-44 NIV (emphasis mine)

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  Jesus took 5 small barley loaves of bread, and 2 fish, and fed thousands of people.  Notice the passage says Jesus fed 5,000 men.  The women and children weren’t even counted, yet we know they were there, because Jesus got the loaves and fish from a small boy. It was his lunch…not a man’s lunch.

Why is that important?  Because some critics of Jesus’ miracles would say that maybe the loaves of bread were really big and could feel a lot of people.  I would say to that: how could a small boy carry 5 loaves of bread large enough to feed 5,000 men?

It’s also important because it was a small boy, a child, that Jesus took notice of, and allowed the boy to give a very special gift to all of the people that day.  Because of that little child, many, many people got to eat. They weren’t going to go hungry.  If God could use that little child back then, don’t you think He could put you to Kingdom work now?

Jesus asked the disciples to pick up all the remaining pieces and bread and fish after everyone was “satisfied.”  Not just after everyone had had a few bites…until everyone had eaten and was satisfied.  And what did they collect?  A few crumbs and a few fish bones?  NO!  They collected 12 baskets full of “leftovers.”

 
This reminds me of another passage in Ephesians chapter 6: “²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.”

Jesus is “far more abundant” than anything we could ever ask, think or imagine.  He LONGS to bless us in abundance! Jesus could have made just enough food to go around for all the people.  But He didn’t.  He went so beyond “enough.”  How so like our lavish Savior. 

Jesus gave thanks before he broke the bread.  Did He need to do that for the miracle to happen?  I don’t think so.  But He did it.  He knew He was going to multiply that food.  He’s God in the Flesh!  And yet He looked toward heaven, and gave thanks.  Are you waiting for a miracle?  Have you given thanks for it in advance?  Step out in faith!  Thank God for what He is about to do for you!

Friends, our Savior is a loving, caring Provider.  He meets all our needs, and then some!  He is lavishly loving, and just waiting for you to come to Him to exceedingly, abundantly do more than we could ever ask or imagine.   

Jesus.  

What a Savior.