lessons from feeding 5000

Lessons from Jesus feeding the 5000 in Matthew 14:13-21

-Jesus just received news from his disciples that John the Baptist was beheaded. Scripture says that when he heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. It is safe to assume that Jesus went away to retreat and pray after the heart breaking news. Jesus did this often. We, too, can take our sorrows, our worries to God in prayer and rest in him.

-But, life, work, ministry goes on in even in heartache. The crowds followed Jesus. Jesus could have ignored them and retreated again. Instead, he had compassion on them and ministered to them. Sometimes the greatest thing we can do to heal, or get our minds off our own worries, is to serve others.

-@worshiptogether conference this past week. Jason Upton shared that while Jesus was healing the sick and performing many miracles, the disciples took their eyes off of all this goodness happening around them and focused on the lack of food to feed the crowd instead. They focused on their scarcity. However, Jesus took the little that he had, the 5 loaves and 2 fish, lifted it to heaven and gave thanks. We, too, can give thanks for what we have, what God is doing all around us, and watch as gratitude turns what we have into enough.

-and, finally, in this passage, we see that God multiplied the small meal so that it fed 5,000. Enough so that when everyone was satisfied the disciples picked up the broken pieces and filled 12 baskets. Of broken pieces. Even in the broken pieces of our lives, we have abundance.

“For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.”

John 1:16 AMPC

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#prayer #serveothers #givethanks #abundantgrace

#devotional #prayer #rest #thanks #aquietpause #abundantgrace #Godsword #focus #Mondaymoment #anxiety #Christian #gratitude #serveothers #Trust #grateful