Abundance

John 6: 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

The word, ‘abundance,’ could probably be defined in a few ways. One of those ways might be to say you are certain of having enough. Another of those ways would be to say you are certain of having more than enough.

All of us have been in a place of abundance at some point in our lives. Even the poorest on earth at some point have understood what it means to have more than enough of something or other. We understand the principle of “too much!”

Jesus is making a sublimely divine point to all those who care to look in on the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. One of the main points is that it didn’t matter a bit whether it was 5,000 or 50 million. There was going to be abundance as long as Jesus was ministering. Jesus did not serve out of poverty, though He had none of the trappings of riches. He served out of the abundance of wealth capable of more than meeting any need. This is the power of creation.

We think our problem or tribulation is more than we can bear, that our potential impoverishment too great for Jesus to meet. Alternately, we are just as likely to think our need is too small to be noticed, (too unimportant to make the Lord’s radar screen.) Neither is true. Just as the Lord met the need of the Israelites wandering in the desert 40 years, and the need of His 5,000 disciples here, He will always be aware of – and be willing to – more than meet whatever need each of us have as children of God. This is the power of creation. When you can speak matter into existence, nothing is beyond your reach. Nothing is too hard for God.

Mark 8:15 Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." 17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." 20 "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." 21 So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Our job is simply to focus on Jesus, and He will take care of the rest. There will always be abundance in what is needed.
- Pastor Bill