Jesus Gives More Than Enough – August 6, 2021

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
John 6:12,13

Jesus Gives More Than Enough

Perhaps you have seen the picture that is a classic found on many dining room walls: a grandfatherly-type figure wearing a green flannel shirt. His hands are folded. His eyes are closed. And in front of him sits on fine china—a 16 oz. ribeye, baked potato, grilled asparagus, and an elegant tiramisu for dessert.

Ok, maybe that is not the classic picture. But the classic picture does have a grandfatherly-type figure wearing a green flannel shirt. And in front of him sits a bowl of soup and a baguette. That’s it. Yet his hands are still folded, and his eyes are still closed.

It would be nice to be so content! We live in a society that is constantly looking for more. And we get caught up in it. We need the newest phone, the trendiest clothes, the best latte. It’s easy to not be satisfied. But when we snap out of our materialistic mindset and stop comparing ourselves to others and start counting our blessings, we soon realize that the Lord has provided, and he’s provided us with plenty.

That lesson was not lost on the disciples at the feeding of the 5,000. After Jesus fed the crowd to the point that they had “as much as they wanted” (John 6:11), he turned the disciples into busboys to clear the grassy table. “They filled twelve baskets” (John 6:13) of leftovers. The people had more than enough, but so did the disciples.

But it’s not bread in our bellies that leads to contentment. The secret to contentment is not a what, but a who—that who is Jesus. Go back to the classic picture described above. I neglected to share one more item sitting in front of the grateful grandfather—besides the bowl and baguette was also the Bible. That’s what led him to fold his hands. That’s what led him to close his eyes in prayer. He had all this and Jesus, too.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see all the blessings in my life and give me a heart of contentment. Amen.