October 27, 2004 Wednesday
Bring it to Jesus

"Andrew...saith unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes...but what are they among so many? He said, Bring them hither to me." (Matthew 14:17,18 & John 6:9)

When Andrew first met Jesus he was eager to do anything possible to bring people to Him. "He first findeth his own brother Simon...And he brought him to Jesus." (John 1:41,42) He knew that Jesus could work a wonder in the life of anyone and his spiritual instinct was to bring everyone to Him! But now, in John 6, after having been with the Lord for some two years, his fleshly instincts were at work again and he had forgotten his first love and works of old. It was good that Andrew remembered that he had nothing in himself to offer to the starving multitude, but he forgot that Jesus Christ, the Mighty God, was directly in front of him! And Philip fell into the same trap..."He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient" (John 6:5,7). Before, Philip too was just as eager as Andrew was to bring people to Christ, "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith...come and see" (John 1:45,46). But Philip is now focusing on the size of the need instead of Christ's unlimited supply! And all of the disciples said to Jesus, "This is a desert place...send them away" (Mark 6:36). The true danger here was the desert of dry faith pouring out of the disciples as they wondered "how!?" And they wanted to send people away from Christ, the most dangerous place a person can possible be! Remember that faith doesn't ask "how!?"...faith steps out in unshakeable assurance, believing that the "how" will be revealed in God's perfect timing! Faith also doesn't question "but what are they among so many?" The few loaves and fishes obviously weren't much...in the hands of men, but they were infinite in the hands of Christ. And if only we will bring unto Him all of our insignificances we will see that "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do" (John 14:12). The greater works are the immeasurable miracles that God wants to create in the hearts of our unworthy and sinful lives, and He CAN make us new, just as He created the entire universe from nothing! Jesus taught that a small grain can move a mountain, that a simple touch or word can change an entire person, so that we might understand what He can do with one simple, seemingly insignificant life that has simply been placed in His hands. "Bring them hither to me" is our great need!