Overflow is Meant to be Shared

[00:00:10] Well, hey friends, welcome back to the weekday podcast. All week long we've been thinking about this one passage in John chapter 6 where Jesus does something amazing. It takes what little the disciples could scrounge up, and he does something amazing. Today I want to round out that story by looking at John 6, verses 12 and 13. It says, after everyone had eaten, Jesus told his disciples, now gather the leftovers so that none is wasted. Wasted. So they picked up the pieces and they filled 12 baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. Now this is an interesting conclusion to the story. What began with scarcity now ends with abundance. Not just enough, but actual overflow. And Jesus is intentional about what happens next. After everyone eats and after everyone's satisfied, Jesus gives one more instruction. He says, gather the leftovers so that none is wasted. What started as not enough actually ends up with 12 baskets full of leftovers. One basket for each and every disciple. Now, no one who participated in the miracle left empty handed. And here's the deeper lesson. God's provision does not stop with us. Overflow is always meant to move outward. The miracle happens not just in the blessing, but also in the passing. The bread multiplied as it was broken and as it was shared. The abundance flowed as, as it was given out. And that's still how it works today. We're fed so that we can feed others. Encouragement, forgiveness, kindness, generosity. These are modern day loaves and fish that you and I can use to feed other people. Jesus looks at his people and he says, you feed them. And when we do, when we give, instead of grip, God continues to multiply what we offer. So today I just want to leave you with this question. Who might God be inviting you to serve or to encourage or to bless this week or this weekend with what you already have? [00:01:57] Begin to ask that question. Ask that question of your heavenly Father and then do whatever he puts on your heart to do. Well, have a great day. We can't wait to see you back here next week for another edition of the weekday podcast.