Tuesday the 15th

John 6: 5-6

 

⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" ⁶He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. ⁷Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"  ⁸Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, ⁹"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

The Lord does not need much to work with to provide for many. We see that very clearly in this chapter as He feeds thousands while starting out with next to nothing. Yet this all starts off with a very simple question. Jesus asks how will we handle this problem…….and like all good teachers, he knows the answer before the question is even asked! Of course, as we all do, the first thing the disciples look for is how are they going to solve the problem on their own. When you find yourself facing impossible challenges, where do you turn?  Do you look first to what you can do? Most of life’s problems can’t be solved by us alone. We might be good, but we are just not that good! We typically run in to the same problem. We do not have enough resources at our disposal to really take care of the issue. However, there is a place we can turn….to the one who has the answer to the question “how am I going to fix this” before it is even asked. The Lord knows that this world is a challenging place. He knows that there are obstacles that you cannot conquer on your own. Instead of looking for what you can do, why not look for what God can do! Even our biggest problems are minute to the Lord. There is nothing that He can’t handle, and do you know what? He wants you to ask for His help! HE knows that we can’t do it alone, that is why He sent us the Holy Spirit. It resides in each of us. Don’t rely on what you have in your hand. Trust in what you have in your heart. It might be a big problem, but we serve a big God! When we find ourselves in difficult situations, when the path gets hard to see. Don’t focus on the problem, focus on the Lord. He can feed thousands with nothing, he can give the blind sight, and the sick their health. I promise you that He can deliver you from your trials. Start by turning to the Lord, then pickup your cross and get to work, the Lord will do the heavy lifting!

 

Peace,

Brian