What steps can we take to recognize and utilize our resources for others? Setting the Scene Mark 6:38: “And He asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’” The disciples faced a hungry crowd, yet Jesus directed their attention to what they already possessed. This simple command unveils practical steps for recognizing and utilizing our resources for others. Step 1 – Take Inventory: “Go and See” • Pause and look closely at what God has already placed in your hands—time, skills, finances, relationships, influence, possessions. • Psalm 24:1 affirms, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof.” Because everything is His, nothing we hold is insignificant. • Write a list. Name every “loaf” and “fish” in your life. Seeing them on paper guards against the lie that you have “nothing to offer.” Step 2 – Acknowledge Ownership: It All Belongs to Jesus • 1 Chronicles 29:14: “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.” • Recognizing Christ’s ownership prevents stinginess; we become stewards, not stockpilers. • Pray over your list, consciously surrendering each resource back to its rightful Owner. Step 3 – Offer What Seems Small • Five loaves and two fish looked inadequate, yet Jesus welcomed them (Mark 6:41). • Zechariah 4:10 cautions us not to “despise the day of small things.” • When God directs, no contribution is too minor. Obedience, not magnitude, unleashes divine multiplication. Step 4 – Trust the Lord to Multiply • Jesus blessed, broke, and distributed (Mark 6:41). The increase came from His hands, not the disciples’. • 2 Corinthians 9:8 promises, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work.” • Expect the Lord to enlarge impact according to His power, not your capacity. Step 5 – Organize and Act • Jesus seated the crowd in groups of hundreds and fifties (Mark 6:40). Order maximized efficiency. • Practical planning—budgets, schedules, delegation—turns good intentions into tangible service. • Luke 16:10 reminds us, “Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much.” Step 6 – Serve Until All Are Filled • “They all ate and were satisfied” (Mark 6:42). The goal is not token gestures but genuine needs met. • Matthew 25:35–36 highlights feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked. Our resources become Christ’s hands and feet. Step 7 – Gather the Fragments: Steward the Overflow • Twelve baskets of leftovers were collected (Mark 6:43). Nothing wasted, nothing neglected. • Proverbs 21:20 commends wise storage: “Precious treasure and oil are in the dwelling of the wise.” • Evaluate results, give thanks, and reinvest surplus for further ministry. Living It Out • Start each week by reviewing your “loaves list.” • Ask, “Where is there a crowd God has placed before me?” • Offer, trust, organize, serve, and steward—watching Christ satisfy many through what He first entrusted to you. |
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