I’m always amazed at how God
never misses a detail. Whether it’s
knowing every star by name, the number of hairs on your head, or chasing down
the one lost sheep, it seems nothing is too trivial for His attention. Another place we see this is when Jesus fed
the 5,000 in John 6. Once everyone had
their fill, He told His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left
over. Let nothing be wasted.” Why bother
with the crumbs? Why not just let the birds
scavenge the leftovers? We don’t have a definitive
answer, but today’s study seeks to uncover some possible reasons.
John
6:12 - “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
Things to think about:
· We all know
how He took 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish to feed 5,000 men (and scholars
estimate the number could have actually been closer to three times that many
counting women and children).
· So why bother
with the leftovers? Couldn’t He just
whip up another miracle as the need arose?
· Everything
God gives us is precious and not to be wasted
o
This principle goes way beyond the way God meets our material
needs. Think about things like:
§ His grace,
mercy, patience, forgiveness
§ How can we be
better stewards of these gifts?
· God’s nature
is to be extravagant and to have our cups brimming to overflowing
o
Just because there’s a lot doesn’t mean we ignore the rest of the
blessing once our personal needs are met
· There were
twelve basketfuls picked up, one for each disciple
o
The servant’s needs are always met
o
If you’ve ever been on a mission trip, how were your needs met while
you were serving others?
·
There are a lot of people in the world that are left behind, overlooked,
and forgotten
o Who are the “crumbs”
in your sphere of influence?
o How do you
think God would have us act towards them?
o How do we
make sure that “none are wasted”?
o
Small acts of kindness fill up baskets of changed lives
