Enough

Dear Friends,

This morning while I was in the shower, I found myself pondering the well-known story of Jesus multiplying the fish and loaves to feed over 5,000 people (“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.” John 6:9). The reason it was on my mind, is because I woke up thinking about all the needs we have in the ministry, and the limited resources to meet those needs. It’s a dynamic we’ve wrestled with since we started the ministry, and yet, time after time, God has multiplied the little that we have - giving us enough to do what we need to do in the moment. But that hasn’t stopped me from regularly worrying each time something new comes up.

So as I pondered all of that, it got me wondering how the story would have turned out if the boy had said to Jesus, “I won't give you all of my lunch, but I will give you half.” To be honest, I’m not sure there would have been a story, because a big part of what we learn from the fish and loaves story is that the boy gave ALL that he had - and in doing so, God fed not only the boy, but thousands more.

I was struck by that truth this morning, because sometimes when I think I've given a situation to God, I realize that I've held on to a piece of it until I see how things are going to turn out. But the reality is, God can't work freely in my life until I surrender all of my life to Him. It’s good to give a tenth of my income to God, but actually one hundred percent belongs to Him. It's good to give a seventh of my time to God, but all of it is God’s. And it’s nice to let God have twelve percent of my talents, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that He has given them all for me to use for His glory and purposes. In other words, everything we have belongs to God - even the situations I’m struggling to surrender to Him because of my worry. But when I really grasp that concept and implement it in my life, I find that there's more than enough to go around - enough time, enough food, enough love - enough everything. Because the bottom line is that God is more than enough.

So today, let's pray that God will help us understand that He is truly enough. He is enough for our problems, and He is enough for our joys and sorrows, and He is enough for our needs. And then, with all of that in mind, let’s ask God to help us surrender 100% to Him, so that He can use us fully and completely for His purposes.

Amen?

Daniel