<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2hgOzM_0pQRL08d00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2hgOzM_0pQRL08d00" width="1919" height="1080" > Once, a man saved for years to buy a boarding pass on a cruise ship. He was excited but suddenly overwhelmed with fear. He used all his money for the boarding pass. He had no extra for food. He thought, “What will I do for food?” He remembered a hoop of cheese stored in his cellar: “If I’m careful, I will have enough cheese for the week,” he thought. He disappeared at mealtime for the first few days aboard the ship and carefully rationed his cheese. Finally, one of his fellow passengers asked, “Why are you never at any of the meals? Don’t you realize the food is the best amenity included with your boarding pass?” <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The disciples find themselves in a similar place in the Gospel of John. They do not realize that their every need is met in Christ. In John 6:1-15, the disciples need to feed some 5,000 men, plus women and children. Jesus asks the disciples how they plan to handle the situation. The disciples learn some valuable lessons, and so should we. Lesson one: human ability is vanity apart from God. The disciples’ ideas were varied, but they all shared one common theme: human effort alone. Mark’s Gospel in Chapter 6:8-9 indicates the initial reaction was to ignore the problem. Philip focused on a financial solution in Mark 6:7. Andrew approached with optimism. Andrew brings to Jesus a young boy who seems to have offered his lunch Mark 6:8-9. Possibly, Andrew had begun an unsuccessful collection effort. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The second lesson: little is much when the focus begins with God. In Mark 6:5, Jesus starts by lifting up His eyes. Next, He uses the food a child offers. Understand that a child, like a woman, was considered property in the first century. No man would have acknowledged the offering of a child. God recognized the offering, accepted it, and used it to accomplish what the grown men could not. Finally, in Mark 6:11, Jesus took the offering and gave thanks. He then started distributing food as much as they wanted. The third lesson: The point is not the miracle; the point is that we should always trust God with our manageable and unmanageable situations. Every situation in the Christian’s life should end and begin with God. According to John 6:2, Jesus’ miracles drew crowds, and this miracle would have reminded His audience of the Old Testament prophet Elisha, who, in 2 Kings 4:42-44, miraculously multiplied loaves of barley bread. But Jesus, I am convinced, wants our focus on the God of the miracle. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The disciples were overly concerned with their efforts and lamented the significance of the need. We should bring God all we have and let Him handle the outcomes. When God challenges us, He expects us to apply effort and resources. Still, He wants us to proceed in faith, not hopelessness. The disciples’ money was impossibly limited; the boy’s lunch was impossibly slim. Still, in the hands of God, what seemed impossible became abundant, with 12 baskets filled with leftovers. Jesus can still leverage our most minor assets into powerful results. In faith, trust Him with your impossible situation. <nbtemplate data-content="eyJhcGlLZXkiOiAiZDgxM2Q5Yzg3NTI3N2IzNWU0YzRmZDM0NTAyMjJkNmQiLCAiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiAiU3Vic2NyaWJlIHRvIFRoZSBQZXJxdWltYW5zIFdlZWtseSIsICJldmVudCI6ICJtcF9zdWJzY3JpcHRpb25fYnV0dG9uX2NsaWNrX2V2ZW50IiwgInVybCI6ICJodHRwczovL2FwZzAxLm5ld3p3YXJlLmNvbS9zczcwdjIvZW5jL2NvbW1vbi90ZW1wbGF0ZS5qc3A_aW5pdD1zdGFydCZpbml0RWRpdGlvbj1QV1omcmV0dXJuPWh0dHBzJTI1M0ElMjUyRiUyNTJGd3d3LmRhaWx5YWR2YW5jZS5jb20lMjUyRnBlcnF1aW1hbnMlMjUyRiIsICJtZWRpYUlkIjogMTU5MzI0NiwgInRpdGxlIjogIkhhcnRtYW4gY29sdW1uOiBJbiBHb2QncyBoYW5kcywgd2hhdCBzZWVtcyBpbXBvc3NpYmxlIGJlY29tZXMgYWJ1bmRhbnQifQ==" data-id="MediaPlatformAmplitudeButton"></nbtemplate></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

Once, a man saved for years to buy a boarding pass on a cruise ship. He was excited but suddenly overwhelmed with fear. He used all his money for the boarding pass. He had no extra for food. He thought, “What will I do for food?” He remembered a hoop of cheese stored in his cellar: “If I’m careful, I will have enough cheese for the week,” he thought.
                He disappeared at mealtime for the first few days aboard the ship and carefully rationed his...