One of the devil’s most used strategies against the people of God is deceiving them into believing that God cannot change them and that they’ll never be different than who they’ve always been. He gets us looking at our abilities or our pasts and tempts us to make conclusions from there about our identities and the possibilities for the future.
In Matthew 14 the disciples were focused on their meager supply of loaves and fish and not on the sufficiency of the Savior. The disciples were operating by reason, not by faith. Reason said they didn’t have enough food, just like your reason may tell you that you’re not strong enough to overcome your sin. Reason remembered the possibilities of the past without Jesus, just like your reason may point to all your past insufficiencies and failures for what’s possible now.
Jesus uses our insufficiency to highlight his strength. He does not convince the disciples that what they have is enough. There’s a lot of gospel-less teaching and counsel today that tries to combat insecurity with positive thinking and self-affirmation. Don’t buy it! The disciples didn’t need more loaves or more fish. They didn’t need to believe in themselves more. They needed more faith in Jesus and to bring the little they had to him.
Jesus can do more with your weakness than you can do with your strength. Jesus says “bring what you have to Me,” and faith obeys him.
Jesus can do more with your weakness than you can do with your strength.
Jesus is still multiplying loaves and fish to minister to the multitudes. He delights to use ordinary people with ordinary means to bring about extraordinary expansion to his Kingdom.
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or who you’ve always been. You can bring all you have and all you are to Jesus and believe him to work miraculously with your meager supply. You may not feel strong or able or gifted or successful, but your weakness and your failures don’t inhibit Jesus’ transforming power.
The disciples didn’t need a bigger lunch or a different lunch. They needed bigger faith. Jesus could have multiplied two loaves and one fish just as easily as he multiplied five and two. What he won’t multiply are loaves and fish that aren’t brought to him. Jesus chooses to use us and our lives as we come to him in faith.
Do you feel insecure? Discouraged by your past and present failings? Down on your meager supply of strength, and hopeless for change?
Look away from your stores to the One who’s able to transform you and multiply what you have to display his glory and bless the world.
Jesus is able. He is calling to all who will hear: “Bring them here to Me.” Will you trust him?
