The Ending is Greater than the Beginning

Take a little journey with me and read the famous story of Jesus feeding the 5000 as recorded in Matthew 14:15-21, it reads:

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Now this is a pretty awesome miracle, with only seven items Jesus multiplied it to feed what some say over 15,000 people (including women and children). Lets see Chef Robert Irvine from "Dinner Impossible" win that kind of challenge. The part that I really love and want you to see with me is verse 20 which says after everyone was full the disciples collected twelve basketfuls of left overs. Now lets do this math, with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, even with small baskets, that would only fill up 7 baskets, but God doesn't do that. God even multiplies the leftovers. In John 6, the story says that the loaves and fish had belonged to a boy. Could you imagine this small boy wondering what his parents would say when they found out he had given his food away. But the awesome thing about God is in the end, the boy did not sacrifice anything but actually received a blessing of more food than what they started with, twelve full baskets of food to be exact. I can just see the analytical mind of Matthew trying to wrap his head around this.

The cool thing about this is that we get a glimpse of God's character when it comes to the miraculous. Like a father doting on his children, God asks us for very little so that He can give us even more. This is a lesson that we hear when the preacher asks for our tithe but we rarely think of it in any other context but our finances. I challenge you to think outside of this box and think about what God is asking you for. In my personal life, God has asked me to give all sorts of things. Some were easy like giving someone groceries, helping someone move, or giving someone a vehicle. The easy ones are usually fun to do and make you feel good. The harder ones are like giving someone forgiveness when you feel they don't deserve it, giving God time that you do not have to spare, or admitting your wrong. These are uncomfortable and sometimes painful but the cool thing is that God takes these small things, blesses them, and returns them back to you in greater numbers.

Don't believe me, I dare you to try it.