Reading 14

Luke 9-12

Don’t get me wrong, I’m always thankful for my food, but I have to admit that sometimes praying before a meal comes more from habit than anything else. And when I read Luke 9:16, I didn’t think anything of Jesus praying and asking God to bless the five loaves of bread and two fish. I’d always thought Jesus was making a point to honor his Father in front of the crowd before making a miracle. But then it occurred to me that maybe the miracle happened because Jesus asked for a blessing on the food. And as a result, there was enough food to feed thousands of people—as if that wasn’t enough, there were leftovers! Twelve baskets of leftovers!

A blessing, indeed. I see now that Jesus was showing the result of asking God for a blessing and demonstrating faithfulness by believing God was going to provide for the needs of all those who had come to listen to Jesus.

Because God loves to provide, Jesus tells us in Luke 12 that we shouldn’t worry. We should have faith. Jesus says that it gives our Father great happiness to give us the kingdom, and that God will give us all we need from day to day if we make the kingdom of God our primary concern. But because we are human, this one-mindedness towards God is probably the hardest thing. Submitting those things to God that we think are so important is painful!

For me, sometimes it’s hard to part with money. I’m not always the most cheerful of givers, but I do give, knowing that the money will be well spent. And from Jesus’ example, I can clearly see the results of being faithful with money and receiving blessings as a result. Last year at tax time, Jim and I had a major blow. We owed the IRS almost half of our monthly income due to a mistake I made on my W-4 form. That was the hardest check I’ve ever had to fill out. I really didn’t know how we were going to make it through the next couple of months. Honestly, though, after the check cleared, I forgot all about it. We noticed no differences anywhere. It wasn’t until weeks later that I realized how non-stressful the situation actually was. I admit, I was surprised, and I really shouldn’t have been. That still, small voice reminded me of our faithfulness with our money and all the different ways it’s gone to benefit the kingdom, and when we were in trouble financially, God took care of us. So I guess it doesn’t really matter if it’s food, money, talents, etc.

If our eyes and hearts are concentrated on the kingdom, we can ask for blessings, and know that we will be provided for. Maybe we’ll even get some leftovers.

Stacey

Reading #14 (audio)