Not Enough

It's the one miracle recorded in all four gospels: the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus took a small amount of fish and bread and made a meal for a multitude.

The apostle John records a detail that the others leave out (You can read it in chapter 6 of the Gospel of John). A boy with five small loaves of bread and two small fish offered what he had to feed everyone else. Jesus took that sack lunch and fed thousands.

What could the boy have been thinking? Did he hope that everyone else had as much to offer as he had? Did he innocently hope that his lunch would be enough for everyone?

Or did he have a childlike faith that believed Jesus would work wonders with a couple of sandwiches?

Reason tells us that it was a foolish gesture. Reason tells us that five barley rolls and two sardines would get lost in such a crowd. Reason tells us that even offering that measly amount of food was a waste of time. Reason tells us that what this boy had just wasn't enough.

Reason is wrong. Reason doesn't count on God's power.

What I have to offer God isn't enough. But what God can do with what I offer is more than enough.

I hear people say that they're not good enough to be a Christian. Or that they're not strong enough to face suffering. Or that they're not disciplined enough to overcome sin.

And they're right.

But God is powerful enough. He can take my unholy life and make it right. He can take my weak faith and help me overcome. He can take my vulnerable humanity and let me say no to temptation.

After the five thousand had eaten off of those five small loaves and two fishes, the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of leftovers! God won't just do "enough"; he'll do much more.

Take what you have and offer it to God. Give him your money. Give him your time. Give him your life. And he will work wonders.

Let's talk about how God can take what you have and make it more than enough. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org or leave a comment on our HopeForLife.org website.