“But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.”  (Exodus 16:18)

I don’t know about you, but when I invite guests for dinner, I like to have what I believe to be an acceptable menu. I try to get an idea ahead of time what their preferences are, and then I plan the meal accordingly.  In doing so I feel that the basic entrée with a starch, vegetable and a salad will be adequate, and I anticipate a generous portion size for each person.  Beyond that, I don’t worry about the meal other than what to serve for dessert.  I am pleased when my guests eat all that I have prepared, and I don’t become overly concerned that they had enough to eat.  I know others, however, who subscribe to the belief that their company was not satisfied if they consumed everything. In other words, if there is no food left over, they will conjecture that their guests must not have had enough to eat. I’m not sure who has the most gracious philosophy. I tend to think if they enjoyed the meal, there was plenty.

When Jesus was faced with the feeding of a very large crowd, His disciples expressed concern that they were not adequately prepared and that the masses should be sent away. “Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matt. 14:16-21).

This miracle was recorded by Matthew, Mark and John, and in each case it is stressed that after all had been fed and satisfied, there was food remaining.  John states it this way: “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten” (John 6:12-13).  Not only did Jesus perform a miracle here, but He was attempting to teach a lesson to His followers. It’s as if He was saying, “Can you not see that you don’t have to concern yourself with how much you have? I can supply all that you need and more.” The fact that there is an abundance left over demonstrates that God is a gracious provider. Just as God delivered bread for the five-thousand and manna for the Israelites of the Old Testament who were in exile (Exodus 16), He will meet our needs as well if we trust Him to do so.

We live in a society of excess, and seldom are we grateful for what we have.  We want more and more. We overextend ourselves financially and sometimes become so deep in debt that we will never see the light of day. We embrace our politicians who promise us the world and fail to realize that somewhere along the line, we will end up paying for all that “free stuff”.  We say what we want is enough to get by and keep us comfortable, but what we have is never sufficient. If our neighbor has it, we want one bigger and faster. We need to come to terms with the fact that the God who loves and cares for us is, in fact, a God of abundance who fulfills our daily needs. However, through the worry and anxiety that we most often bring on ourselves – we can miss out on the true Bread of Life. St. Augustine put it this way: “He who has God has everything; he who has everything but God has nothing.” Embrace Him as your absolute EVERYTHING. He is indeed all you’ll ever need. “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). What He provides is more than enough. We just have to trust and believe it to be so.

REFLECTION: Do you ever find yourself sometimes becoming apathetic with all the blessings God pours on you each day? What is that thing that you may need to reconsider to be a necessity as you reassess what God has already made available to you is most likely more than adequate?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., APRIL 30, 2016.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.