What Do You Have?

Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:15-21 ESV). I heard of a little boy who was asked what his favorite Bible story was. He said, "I like the one where everyone loafs and fishes." That is not exactly what happened with the Feeding of the Five Thousand, but it is a great story. Jesus was at the peak of His ministry during this time, and His popularity was spreading. Multitudes of people were anxiously following Him. A large crowd had gathered to hear Him, and they were hungry. We don't know a lot about the little boy with his loaves and fishes whom Andrew brought to Jesus. We don't even know his name. But we do know he was poor, because he had barley bread, the cheapest of all bread. He also had two small fish. He didn't have a lot to bring to the table. But that little boy gave what he had to Jesus. In the same way, God wants us to bring what we have to the table. This boy gave his lunch, as poor as it was, to Jesus. This lunch was as insignificant as it could be. And this boy was as insignificant as he could be. But that which was insufficient from the hands of the insignificant became sufficient and significant when placed in the hands of Jesus. It is not what you bring. It is whom you are bringing it to. God can do a lot with a little. And sometimes those who have the least are willing to give more, because they recognize that if anything good results, it has to come from God. So bring what you have. God can take it, bless it, and use it to touch many. What makes a gift great in God's service? It is not the magnitude of the gift. It is into whose hands the gift is given.