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Topic: Rest (06/14/04)
TITLE: What to Do With the Rest By Tonya Miller Cross 06/21/04 |
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As the cook for a family of five, I am often faced with the decision of what to do with leftovers. Do I recycle and camouflage them into another meal or do I take them to work the next day for lunch? Usually my choice is the latter because my family hates leftovers.
The life spoken of in John 10:10 is a life filled with more than enough. Jesus’ purpose for coming into this world was to give us life. The life he offers goes beyond mere existence; it is a life filled with purpose and meaning. In our Christian walk, we are also faced with the decision of what to do with the leftovers or the rest. The rest is the part that remains after you’ve used what you need.
The story of the miracle Jesus performed with the two fish and five loaves of bread has a hidden lesson (John 6:5-13). The miracle that took place in the story was that five thousand men were fed plus women and children with only two small fish and five barley loaves. The hidden lesson in the story is the lesson in leftovers or the rest. The leftovers were collected so that nothing would be wasted. The remains filled twelve baskets which equate to an abundance.
Jesus gave specific instructions to the disciples: Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost John 6:12. What did Jesus and his disciples do with the rest? I believe the abundance was not thrown away but used. Maybe the people received a second meal or the food was given to the poor and destitute. The principle to learn in this lesson is not to waste our abundance.
The early church learned and practiced this principle. In Acts 4:34,35, we see where the church voluntarily shared their rest (possessions and property) so that no one among them lacked. The church became a storehouse. If a need arose within the body, there was an abundance stored up to meet that need.
As far as my dinner leftovers are concerned, they too are an excess that should continue to be used and not wasted. Our rest can be anything that we have an excess of whether it’s time, money, food, or any other possession. Today’s church can learn from the early church that we should not waste our abundance. Sharing your rest could simply be using your extra time volunteering at a nursing home or donating those extra cans of food in the pantry to a homeless shelter. It is our Christian duty to use our rest so that none among us lack.