“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.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” — John 6:11-13
Will God Provide?
The feeding of the multitudes appears in each of the Gospels, so it’s obvious that Jesus wants us to grasp the importance of this miracle. Jesus fed thousands from a boy’s sack lunch, and because God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, doing something like that shouldn’t be surprising. David gave a testimony concerning this in Psalm 37:25: “…I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
One of the things we learn from the feeding of the multitudes (think about it in the sense of Jesus feeding a football stadium full of hungry fans) is that Jesus used His disciples to feed all of these people, physically or spiritually.
From this account we see that Jesus fed thousands, and then had 12 baskets of food left. A question to ponder: How many disciples were there? The answer is 12.
Jesus’ desire for His followers today is to go to those who are in need. He gives us a simple message — He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He wants us coming together with all we have, to take His truth and love to a lost and hurting world.
If that is your focus, you will never have to worry about provision. You will have all you need in your “basket.”
— Ken Cordray
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
