Divine Nourishment
Mark 8:5-8 NKJV
[5] He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” [6] So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. [7] They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. [8] So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.
Jesus is constantly preparing us.
Not a day goes by that our faith is not being tested.
As every hour goes by we should be reminded of the necessity of our Faith in Christ.
We need to get to a maturity in our faith that understands that it is our faith in Jesus that gets us through the hour and through the day! Then we will realize that we are nothing without Faith in the HOST OF HEAVEN!
Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
They go again to see what they have.
Seven loaves of bread and a few fish.
Provision of God always comes from His compassion.
The Disciples had seen this before.
They had seen the Lord multiply fish and bread before.
It is amazing to think how Jesus can feed thousands of people with little or nothing at all!
He takes bread and multiplies it!
Bread that never existed!
Bread that was made from grain that had never been planted and harvested from the ground!
Fish that were never hatched and swam in the water!
We miss this miracle!
The Lord takes nothing and creates.
He brings to life what never had life.
But the Disciples were hesitant.
Why would Jesus extend His mercy and compassion to these unbelieving Gentiles?
Have you ever asked yourself “how much is enough “.
How much stuff do I need?
How much money do I need?
How much church do I have to go to?
How much Faith must I have?
The greater question should be,
How devoted are you?
Where is your devotion?
These Gentile people sat for three days to hear the teaching of Christ. To bear witness to His tender love and mercy.
Jesus sees their devotion.
He sees at what length they were willing to go just to be in His presence.
There is a cost to follow Christ.
It is not just a matter of saying prayer to ask Him into your life. It is sitting at His Precious and Holy Feet!
It is taking every Holy Word into the depths of your heart.
It is giving up to yourself.
It is putting away the old garments of this world and putting on the new garments of Eternity!
And Jesus sees their devotion.
He sees at what length they were willing to go just to be in His presence.
For some it goes completely away from their beliefs. It goes against traditions, rituals and religion.
Some had to leave families and friends behind.
There is a cost to follow Christ.
He knows who is there and for what purpose.
These people came to Jesus with their problems. They got more than healing. They got more than miracles and signs and wonders.
Those that stayed after, those that devoted their time and hearts got more than they could ever imagine.
Do you believe that Jesus takes all things into account?
Do you think Jesus considers what you do for Him?
We should.
He considers how devoted we are to Him.
He considers how much Faith we have in Him.
He considers how early we came and how late we stayed.
He knows what you have to do and go through just to get here.
He knows what sacrifices and what you have given up to sit at His Feet.
When our faith is weak and our strength is gone, do we still determine to follow, Jesus Christ sees that.
A pure heart and a genuine desire to Follow.
He knows these people have been with Him for three days. He doesn’t miss.
It moves His heart.
The Lord’s compassion wells up and starts to show itself.
Those that sit with Jesus did something that we today have a hard time doing.
They put GOD first!
The teaching of Jesus Christ was more important than anything.
Nourishment for the soul is more valuable than the nourishment of the body.
Taking in the Bread of Life is more nourishing to the depths of our whole body than the finest 6 course meal.
We can be saved by His Grace
But how we get to know Him is to sit, learn and listen.
We walk with Him. We choose to love Him. What Sacrifice have you made to Follow Him?
We give up our Pride, anger, and sin.
What about your time?
What about your hobbies?
Jesus takes account of it all.
If we have less or more today than we had yesterday, it makes no difference.
What matters is Who’s Hand holds it.
And what faith you have in those Hands.
That compassion of Christ starts to increase and grow.
Mark 8:2 NKJV
[2] “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
We rely so heavily on the resources we have on hand rather than THE resource of all things GOD!
These people had a need.
I’m sure the physical hunger pains were starting to settle in.
The distractions of it are starting to control their thoughts.
And even in that short time of physical deficiency they choose to stay.
Devotion to sitting at the feet of the Savior!
Where else would they go?
Who else could they turn to?
These were pagan Gentiles that had worshiped false gods for generations.
Here they have the One true God. He shows them love and compassion. He gives them hope. He heals their souls and heart!
Everything they lacked in , Jesus gave in abundance!
All because of their devotion!
The Lord is abundant in His compassion.
Theses that have sat at His feet put The Lord of Glory before themselves and He supplied for their need.
Not just their Spiritual need to be Redeemed from the Wrath of God, but He provides for their physical daily necessity.
Jesus takes the seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Blessed it and it multiplies.
All eat.
All are now completely satisfied both Spiritually and physically.
Only God can do that.
Above and beyond.
More than enough.
Sometimes we expect Jesus to provide for us the way we want Him to provide for us.
The provision that Jesus gracefully and mercifully gives us is the portion that we need.
Most times that portion looks different.
Different portions for different seasons.
The Lord takes care of us differently in each stage of life depending on what we need.
Its purpose is the same regardless of how big the Blessing is. As long as we serve Christ with our whole heart He will provide in a way that you never expected.
I urge you today to stay devoted to sitting at His Feet, no matter what your circumstance is!
If we have less or more today than we had yesterday, it makes no difference.
What matters is Who’s Hand holds it.
And what faith you have in those Hands.
Pastor Ed