Nothing Wasted! (Pt.2)

(Part 2 of 2)

“Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”-John 6:11-12

The problem that most of us have, is that in order to bless many, God has to break up the loaf. That seems so contrary to how we want to live our lives. We don’t want to live broken, we want to be whole.Yet, as appealing as a whole loaf can be, left intact it is all that we have. If we remain whole, we can only give ourselves to one person, but broken we can be a blessing to many. In God’s economy, dividing doesn’t diminish the amount we have to give, it multiplies the people that can be reached.

Jesus took that boy’s lunch and broke it. This creates a stumbling block in so many people’s hearts and minds. That ideal life that you have dreamed of, carefully planned, and settled into; at times must be broken or disrupted to bless many. Those disruptions are God’s way of preparing us to be shared. 

We all go through trials, difficulties, and seasons of pain and in those moments we may feel as if we are falling to pieces and perhaps that is exactly what is happening. Unfortunately, we look at brokenness as a problem and not an opportunity. We want God to step in and take those broken pieces and reassemble us like a puzzle, but instead God is trying to prepare our lives to be given away. Truth is, we receive better from people that have experienced what we have been through. 

That part of your life, like when you lost a child, you can share that experience with others going through the same thing. How about when you and your spouse struggled in your marriage and God brought you back from the brink of divorce? You can share that experience with others and give them hope. Or when you lost your job and had to file bankruptcy and thought you’d never recover? You can share that with others and be an encouragement to them. 

Finally, sometimes we hold back because we fear that what we give will be wasted. Ever feel like you give and give, but never see a return. We feel spent and depleted and so we stop giving of ourselves, worrying that we are wasting our loaf (life). However, a life that is broken and blessed by God is never wasted: 

“After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”-John 6:12

Nothing wasted! Jesus gathered up the pieces of that little boy’s lunch and collected twelve baskets full. In the end, that little boy ended up with far more than he started with, because he was willing to give up what little he had at first. 

It’s not about what you have to bring, but what you are willing to give. The key is that you give it to God first. That little boy could have divided his own lunch up and maybe fed two or three others. Instead, he brought his lunch to Jesus, let Him bless it, and saw the multitudes fed. Today you may not feel like you have much to bring, but if you will give it to God; He will bless it to see the multitudes fed. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church