Day 126 "Being filled is far more than eating a meal."

Day 126 Matthew 14:15-21 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. This amazing and often-repeated story of the feeding of the 5,000 men, plus the women and children, stands as a great reminder for all of us today of the fulfillment we can find in Jesus. A number of years ago, I was watching a documentary on the life of Jesus; it was, of course, one of those that sought to provide a worldly and well-rounded view of all that Jesus did. I remember being frustrated as I watched them do everything they could to figure out how and why, in human terms, this miracle was able to take place. Most of the views they proposed I cannot remember, and the rest made absolutely no sense because, after all, they approached it from the view of trying to shrink the things of God in order that they would fit in the mind of man. The thought I was left with, however, was very fulfilling; I realized at that time what the power of this passage was for me and my life, which was that Jesus is truly all any of us need to be fulfilled. You will notice that Jesus said in verse 18 bring them, meaning the people to Him. We know He meant the people because in the prior verse the disciples said, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." And in verse 19 it says, "Then He (Jesus) commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass." He could have just as easily said to the disciples, “Have everyone sit down where they are and feed them,” or, yes, He could have sent them to town or home; after all, the day was done; they were going home soon anyhow. But no, He chose to have the people gather around Him once more and to be fed not just in the spirit but now in the flesh before sending them out to face the world. Why? Because Jesus is all we truly need to be sustained in every way in this world! Far too much emphasis is being placed upon the worldly why’s and how's, and not enough emphasis is being placed on the who? which is, Christ is our sustenance. He is our all in all. Once again I will say it: every day we face the world without spending time in the Word, being filled in the spirit, we will be defeated, downtrodden, left wanting, and hungry, yet when we seek the Lord before facing the world, the opposite will be true. Yes, we will have trials. Yes, it will be difficult. However, if we are filled in the spirit, we will always be able to overcome and see the purpose of those challenges we face, even though it may take time. Learn to allow Jesus to be your all in all, take the time to sit at His feet and be filled, and you, too, will be satisfied and able to face the world. Daily Prayer: Father, help me to take the time to hear from You before I face the world. Fill me, I pray, in every way with Your strength that I may be all You desire of me today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Being filled is far more than eating a meal." Pastor Gene Burroughs