Tag Archives: feeding the hungry

Nov6

Little Things Matter

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Everyone can do something

 “And serve each other according to the gift each person has received,

as good managers of God’s diverse gifts.”
1 Peter 4: 10 CEB
 

Just think what a difference we could make in our community, our state, our nation…or throughout the world..if we ALL gave just a little bit of time, money, or talent for serving others? A few dollars out of your pocket, a few cans of food out of your pantry, or a few minutes out of your day, may not mean much to you, but to others it can mean everything.

So take a moment and think about the blessings in your life, and consider what one thing you can do today to serve others. If we all did our part, the result would be like the ever-expanding ripple effect from dropping a small pebble into a body of water. The sphere of influence of our combined actions could increase incrementally and spread throughout the world. The little things do matter!

“Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything.” 1 Peter 4:10 (MSG)

  •  “We are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
  • ” Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”  Hebrews 10:24
  • “Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word.  Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes.  Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.”  1 Peter 4:11 (CEB)
  • Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination. Luke 16:9 (VOICE)
  • “In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.”  2 Timothy 2: 20 – 21 (MSG)
 http://howtoberich.org/time/
Jan27

A Little Boy’s Lunch

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Cannon Summer 2010 035

“There is a boy here who has

five loaves of barley bread and two fish.

But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,

and distributed to those who were seated

as much as they wanted.

He did the same with the fish.”

John 6:9,11

“When 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?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.  Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”  Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”  Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.  When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”  John 6:5 – 13

As a little girl I remember learning this story in Bible School. It captured my attention because of the fact that Jesus performed this miracle using a little child’s lunch.  As word of Jesus’s miracles and healings spread, his popularity among the people grew, and on this particular day, over 5000 people had gathered to see him. As the story goes, Jesus first asked Philip for a human solution to this problem.  How could we possibly feed more than 5000 hungry people?  Jesus already knew what he was going to do, but he wanted to strengthen Philip’s faith (and anyone else who hears this story!) in the process.  Philip immediately began assessing the probable cost of feeding this massive crowd.  By going through this process, Jesus highlighted the fact that financial resources are not the most important ones.  By Philip’s account, it would be humanly impossible to feed this huge crowd.  But with God, all things are possible!  Jesus can take the little that we have to offer and turn it into something great.

 Something else that we see in this story is that the boy gave what little he had while others gave nothing.  I’m sure there were others in the crowd, including the disciples, who probably had more resources than the boy, but they felt they didn’t have enough to make a difference, so they gave nothing. If we offer nothing to God, He will have nothing to use.  The boy gave the tiny amount that he had, and Jesus used it to perform one of the most spectacular miracles recorded.  With the boy’s small lunch, Jesus fed the enormous crowd and even had enough left over to feed all twelve disciples!

God can take whatever we offer Him in our time, talent, and resources and multiply its effectiveness beyond our wildest imaginations.  No matter what your age, physical abilities, bank account balance, skill level, intelligence, or family background, if you take the first step in making yourself available to God, He can take what you offer and use it in mighty ways to advance His kingdom.

So what’s in your “lunch box” today?