Devotionals

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Most of us are plenty familiar with miracle of the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus. But have you ever wondered what it would have felt like to be one of those two fish or five loaves of bread? The Gospel of John specifies the bread as “barley loaves”. Barley was the food of the poor and held little value among the people. Besides being of insignificant worth, there was just a tiny amount. John 6:9 (NIV) states, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Can you imagine being one of those fish laying there and having your self-esteem crushed in front of all the people? The disciples deemed the food as inconsequential for the task at hand. Certainly, if I were one of the barley cakes, I would have looked for the nearest rock to crawl under!

But Jesus had other plans. Look at what He did with the five loaves and two fish. Jesus took, blessed, broke and gave. The results of Jesus’ actions were astounding. First, the broken food fragments were distributed among the 5000 men, along with the women and children who were present. Then, the Bible says all ate and they were satisfied. Next, the leftovers were gathered and twelve baskets were filled. There was more food after everyone ate than what they started with. Abundance arose from next to nothing!

I believe God wants us to be like one of the fish or barley loaves. God will use what is given to Him, no matter how trivial it appears. He will bless those who submit themselves wholly unto Him. The child of God must be broken of any selfish and prideful ways. Then God is able to work through His people to accomplish exceedingly more than could ever be imagined.

Maybe you belong to a small fellowship of believers like me. Perhaps we have been questioning our worth, much like those barley loaves and small fish. While we may feel unimportant or think we have little to offer as bodies, I am convinced that God has something absolutely amazing in store for us. Do you believe that God can use our small, seemingly insignificant churches to work great miracles? Do you think God can take our brokenness and bless us? Can God really work through us to bring about an abundance of His grace in our communities? I believe He can and will, if we will continue to completely yield to His Lordship.


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Eph. 3:20-21 (NIV)

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