If you've been a Christian for a while, then I'm sure you've read the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21, and probably heard it preached at least a half dozen times. It's a popular passage, and for good reason! It highlights the Lord's compassion, and showcases one of His many incredible miracles. Despite its familiarity, we always benefit from reading God's word (Isaiah 55:9-11), so let's look at the passage again before proceeding:
13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
I selected the account given in Matthew, but it can also be found in Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6. When God speaks, we should listen; when He repeats Himself, we should listen harder; when He repeats Himself four times, what do you think we should do?
Take A Closer Look
The details provided in John include that the five loaves and two fishes belonged to a young boy - the Bible calls him a lad. Whether the food was this boy's lunch, or maybe some groceries he was picking up for his family, doesn't really matter. What matters is:
It was not nearly enough food for five thousand people.
It was given freely despite not being enough.
It was used by the Lord to meet the needs of five thousand people.
It didn't interfere with whatever purpose the boy originally had for the loaves and fishes - if it was for his lunch, he still got fed, and if it was to take home to his family, the Lord provided ample leftovers.
Remember, the Lord chose to repeat this account in Scripture four times, so chances are there's something here for us that He knows we need to be reminded of frequently. We need to be reminded that we don't have enough; we need to be reminded that the Lord can use a little to accomplish a lot; and we need to be reminded that though He calls us to make sacrifices, He is not negligent in providing for our needs (Hebrews 6:10, Luke 12:22-31). But where we're going to focus today is in the act of freely giving what little we have.
Where We Get Stuck
How often are we cowed from doing more for the Lord because we simply don't have much to give? I don't know your circumstances, but I'll speak from my own: I often lack time, talent, boldness, finances, know-how, and opportunity to do all the things that I would like to do for the Lord. Those are just the ones off the top of my head - I'm sure there are more. And if you're like me, sometimes you get discouraged by how little you seem to have. You see great preachers, great evangelists, great servants, great authors, great givers...and you're not them. Not because you don't want to be, but because you just don't have enough loaves and fishes.
Maybe you hear sermons intended to exhort and provoke you to service, and yet somehow you feel the opposite effect - a sort of paralysis induced by the great need and your great lack of something to give in response. There are five thousand people standing there, and all you've got is a few pieces of bread and some fish. It's embarrassing.
One reason why the Lord repeats this account four times is probably because we're so prone to feel that way. But He reminds us: you may only have a little, but He has much more than necessary to meet every need. And, in a baffling, almost paradoxical truth, He asks you to give your little so that He may do much. He knows what you have, and He knows that its not enough, but He's asking you to get over yourself and let Him do what you cannot.
The Lord Delights to Work With Our Meager Resources
And there's the key: get over yourself. If that little boy had his own stadium-sized restaurant stocked full of bread and fish, then the boy would have gotten the glory instead of the Lord. We need to be reminded that He delights in those situations where human resources fall short. He delights that we don't have enough, because it allows Him to show Himself mighty on our behalf. It allows Him to give blessings we could hardly imagine. Self-sufficiency often interferes with seeing God's greatness and goodness. That's not to say we should be foolish and live recklessly (Matthew 4:5-7). Life will constantly remind us that we fall short of our needs without us seeking it out! But when those moments come along - and they come often - where do we look? Do we look to ourselves, attempting to meet then need on our own? Do we fall in to the grip of discouragement knowing that we can't meet the need? Or do we take what little we have to the Lord in faith and patiently wait for Him do what He delights to do on our behalf?
Application: Service for the Lord (with an Example)
This could be applied to any area of life, but today let's consider how it applies to service for the Lord. You may feel like you don't have much to offer your church, or that you couldn't possibly do something for the Lord. Maybe it's because you are keenly aware that you don't have much to give, or maybe it's because you feel like that what you can do is insignificant. But remember, the Lord can work with one person's lunch to feed thousands. What feels insignificant to you may be of far greater importance that you realize (I Corinthians 12:14-26).
Vanguard is a great example of this. That sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, but stick with me for a moment and I'll show you why it gives glory to the Lord. Throughout my years as a born-again Bible believer, God has taught me many things, spared me from many other things, and given me several courses in the school of hard knocks. When I compared it to the "spiritual giants" that I admire, it didn't seem like I had much to offer, but I wanted to do something with it. Because of my job at the time, I did not have hours or energy to spare, and because I tend to be more quiet and reserved, I usually do better with writing than speaking. In other words, I had some loaves and some fishes, and it didn't seem like much, but I was willing to use what I had for the Lord. That's how the idea for Vanguard came along.
The website became active on March 9, 2023. That means that, as of today, the site has been up for a little over 15 months. I have posted new articles regularly, but I have done nothing to advertise or promote it beyond mentioning it to my parents, two of my friends, one of my students, and one gentleman that I had a correspondence with in England. One of my friends chose to share a few of the site's articles on Facebook, and to mention the site at a Monday night Bible study that we attend. In 479 days, that's all. I took what little I had and did the best I could with it, giving it to the Lord to do whatever He wished to do with it. And what did He do? So far, He has used the site to reach 702 people in 64 countries around the world! Here's the list (in alphabetical order):
Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Why am I telling you this? Because I want to echo the testimony found in the four Gospels of what the Lord can do when you put five loaves and two fishes in His hands! By simply giving the Lord what little I had available, He did something with it. Does it compare to the ministries of other believers that are bigger, more well-known, and have more to offer? Who cares! I had a little, and He used it, multiplying it to do what I could never have done on my own. I don't have the time, the energy, or the resources to go to 64 countries in 479 days. Run the math: I would have to go to a new country every week in order to pull that off. Maybe some people could do it, but I don't have enough loaves or fishes for it. And yet, here we are.
I hope God will continue to use Vanguard, but I want to leave it all in His capable hands. I have made deliberate choices to keep the site from bringing me any glory for that very reason. That's why I choose to leave my name off of it. I don't want any attention; I want the Lord and His word to receive the attention. I'm not trying to hide (if you want to contact me, there is both an email and a Facebook page for Vanguard, and I would be happy to talk to you!), but I wanted to make sure that any attention the site gets would be directed toward God rather than me. If you like what's on the site and it's a blessing to you, please don't go talking about me - go praise God instead!
The Sum of the Matter
So...we're all out of excuses, aren't we? Take stock of your loaves and fishes, knowing that its never going to be enough, and then hand them over to the Lord in faith, patiently waiting to see how He can use it to accomplish things beyond what you think possible. And if you're looking for some help on how to take stock of what you have to offer, check out these articles:
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