Give Ye Them To Eat
"And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto Him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. But He said unto them, Give ye them to eat." (Luke 9:12, 13a)
When the disciples saw such a great need before them - at least five thousand tired and hungry men - their natural thought was to send them away to where their needs could be met. They knew that they did not have the resources to minister to such a crowd, either in food, or money to buy food. Jesus, however, saw things quite differently. His resources were unlimited, and He was about to teach His followers a classic lesson in supply and demand. His command to the disciples was clear, "Give ye them to eat."
Whether the need is great or small, we often look within ourselves and think that there is nothing that we have that can satisfy that need. Whether it is sharing the Lord with a group of people, or just testifying to an individual one-on-one, we often would rather send them to someone we think is better equipped to help them. We want to speak the right words, but are afraid that we won't have them, so we say nothing. Opportunities may pass us by day-by-day simply because we think we are inadequate to the need, but the Lord doesn't let us off so easily. His command is, "Give ye them to eat."
Oftentimes, God will supply the need through an unlikely source. In the case of the 5000, it was a young lad who had a lunch of some bread and a few fishes and offered it to them. It seemed silly to expect that this little bit would stretch so far, but that's exactly what happened. The Lord blessed that little bit and placed it in the hands of His disciples, and that is where the miracle occurred. As they gave of what the Lord provided them, it was multiplied in their hands, and it did not give out until every soul was satisfied! Oh, Beloved, if only we realized how God can multiply those little things that He has blessed in our lives!
I was once asked to speak to the congregation of a small church. For days ahead, I spent time trying to prepare for what I would say to this group of people, but nothing would come to me. There was nothing fresh, nothing that felt inspiring that I could find to share. Needless to say, I became more distressed the closer the time came for me to speak. The night of the engagement, I sat in the congregation, was introduced, and walked behind the podium, and still had no clue what I was going to say. As I stepped up to the microphone, a man in the congregation spoke up and asked if he could testify before I gave my message. Relieved to buy some time, I, of course, said yes. As this dear brother began to share what God meant to Him, the Lord spoke to my heart, and I began to feel His Spirit move within me. I was suddenly inspired with a message that I was eager to share. I felt like Elihu in the Book of Job when he said, "My belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. I will speak, that I may be refreshed." (Job 32:19, 20a) God blessed the little that He gave me that night, and multiplied it greatly to all that were there. Not only did God fill every soul, but just like the story of the 5000, there was so much left over that we were able to feast on that message for days afterwards. "And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets." (Luke 9:17)
We must always look for that which God has blessed. Those things which have passed through His hands before coming to us. Nothing else will satisfy; nothing else will meet the need. It isn't our intellect that will fill the need, it isn't our powers of reasoning, or our wisdom, or knowledge of the scripture even. It is what the Lord Himself can do through us that will meet the needs. As Paul said, "And such trust have we through Christ to God–ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Corinthians 3:4-6) All that originates from self is worthless to the Lord. He wants us to learn to empty ourselves so that He might fill us. We can use the Word of God to minister death to those who hear us, or we can, through the Spirit, minister life. Jesus told His disciples at one point, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)
So, what can we say to all of this except, "It is God that works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) Be bold for God! He wants to bless you, and then He wants you to be a blessing to others. Don't allow the enemy to convince you that you are useless, or incapable, of ministering life to others. You are a member of the body of Christ, and are therefore an extension of the Lord Himself. There may be times when it is better to just be an ear, rather than a mouth; or to pray with, rather than instruct or advise someone. The point is: trust the Lord to give you what you need when you need it. He is faithful, my friends! Give ye them to eat.
When the disciples saw such a great need before them - at least five thousand tired and hungry men - their natural thought was to send them away to where their needs could be met. They knew that they did not have the resources to minister to such a crowd, either in food, or money to buy food. Jesus, however, saw things quite differently. His resources were unlimited, and He was about to teach His followers a classic lesson in supply and demand. His command to the disciples was clear, "Give ye them to eat."
Whether the need is great or small, we often look within ourselves and think that there is nothing that we have that can satisfy that need. Whether it is sharing the Lord with a group of people, or just testifying to an individual one-on-one, we often would rather send them to someone we think is better equipped to help them. We want to speak the right words, but are afraid that we won't have them, so we say nothing. Opportunities may pass us by day-by-day simply because we think we are inadequate to the need, but the Lord doesn't let us off so easily. His command is, "Give ye them to eat."
Oftentimes, God will supply the need through an unlikely source. In the case of the 5000, it was a young lad who had a lunch of some bread and a few fishes and offered it to them. It seemed silly to expect that this little bit would stretch so far, but that's exactly what happened. The Lord blessed that little bit and placed it in the hands of His disciples, and that is where the miracle occurred. As they gave of what the Lord provided them, it was multiplied in their hands, and it did not give out until every soul was satisfied! Oh, Beloved, if only we realized how God can multiply those little things that He has blessed in our lives!
I was once asked to speak to the congregation of a small church. For days ahead, I spent time trying to prepare for what I would say to this group of people, but nothing would come to me. There was nothing fresh, nothing that felt inspiring that I could find to share. Needless to say, I became more distressed the closer the time came for me to speak. The night of the engagement, I sat in the congregation, was introduced, and walked behind the podium, and still had no clue what I was going to say. As I stepped up to the microphone, a man in the congregation spoke up and asked if he could testify before I gave my message. Relieved to buy some time, I, of course, said yes. As this dear brother began to share what God meant to Him, the Lord spoke to my heart, and I began to feel His Spirit move within me. I was suddenly inspired with a message that I was eager to share. I felt like Elihu in the Book of Job when he said, "My belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. I will speak, that I may be refreshed." (Job 32:19, 20a) God blessed the little that He gave me that night, and multiplied it greatly to all that were there. Not only did God fill every soul, but just like the story of the 5000, there was so much left over that we were able to feast on that message for days afterwards. "And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets." (Luke 9:17)
We must always look for that which God has blessed. Those things which have passed through His hands before coming to us. Nothing else will satisfy; nothing else will meet the need. It isn't our intellect that will fill the need, it isn't our powers of reasoning, or our wisdom, or knowledge of the scripture even. It is what the Lord Himself can do through us that will meet the needs. As Paul said, "And such trust have we through Christ to God–ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Corinthians 3:4-6) All that originates from self is worthless to the Lord. He wants us to learn to empty ourselves so that He might fill us. We can use the Word of God to minister death to those who hear us, or we can, through the Spirit, minister life. Jesus told His disciples at one point, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)
So, what can we say to all of this except, "It is God that works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) Be bold for God! He wants to bless you, and then He wants you to be a blessing to others. Don't allow the enemy to convince you that you are useless, or incapable, of ministering life to others. You are a member of the body of Christ, and are therefore an extension of the Lord Himself. There may be times when it is better to just be an ear, rather than a mouth; or to pray with, rather than instruct or advise someone. The point is: trust the Lord to give you what you need when you need it. He is faithful, my friends! Give ye them to eat.
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