Jesus can do a lot with a little.
Albert McMakin was a young farmer in his mid-20s who had recently come to know Christ. His faith was so alive that he regularly packed a truck full of friends and drove them to hear the message of Jesus. One person he especially wanted to bring along was a good-looking farmer’s son, but convincing him wasn’t easy. The young man was more interested in his busy social life and romantic pursuits than in Christianity.
Eventually, Albert found a way—he asked the farmer boy to drive the truck. Once they arrived, the young man decided to go inside, where he became completely captivated. He began wrestling with thoughts and questions he’d never had before. He kept returning, night after night, until one evening he stepped forward and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. That truck driver was Billy Graham. It was 1934. From that moment on, he would go on to lead countless people to faith in Christ.
I bet for Albert, filling a truck full of friends to go hear about Jesus felt like a very small thing. He did not have a massive influence on the world. He was not some great public figure. But he had a truck and a heart for his friends. One of those friends happened to be Billy Graham. In more than 70 years of ministry, Billy Graham preached the Gospel message to nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries around the world, and his work continues today through the ministries he established.
What would have happened if Albert decided his small offering wasn’t enough? Have you ever felt like you weren’t enough? Jesus can do a lot with a little.
In Mark 6, the disciples return from their journeys after being sent out two by two. They are wiped out and don’t feel like they have much left in them. Jesus sees this and decides to retreat with his disciples to a solitary place for a little R&R. However, the crowd follows. In fact, it says they ran to Jesus (v. 33). Jesus has compassion on the crowd (v. 34). The word used is the strongest in the Greek language for “pity.” Jesus’ heart broke for the crowd because they were like sheep desperately in need of a shepherd.
After meeting the crowd’s spiritual needs, the disciples point out that it is late and the crowd needs to be sent away to address their physical need of hunger. Jesus then asks the disciples to meet the need. They gather what food they can find, but it is too little to feed an entire crowd. But Jesus can do a lot with a little. He takes the five loaves and two fish, blesses them, and then gives them to the disciples, saying, “Take and distribute these.” By the time the scene plays out, there are 12 basketfuls left over and “they all ate and were satisfied” (v. 42).
Two things are sticking out to me as I write this:
- God does not need a lot to do something miraculous. Even when we are tired and feel like we have nothing to give, he can do incredible things.
- God wants to involve us. Jesus could have just fed the crowd of well over 5,000 people by himself, but he wanted to involve the disciples. And he wants to involve us in his work of meeting the spiritual and physical needs of this world as well.
Jesus wants to do a lot with our little.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that you are a God who meets every need I have. Thank you for having compassion on me. Thank you for inviting me into the work you are already doing in this world. Show me how to use what you have given me to bless those you are calling me to. Amen.
Reflection:
- What is the best meal you have ever had?
- How has Jesus fed you when you’ve been spiritually hungry? When you sense that spiritual hunger, do you turn to him or do you try to fill up on something else first?
- What is something in your life, big or small, that God might be able to use to do big things?