Jan 24: Insight Post by Karen Heal
Weekly Reading: John 6:1-14, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44
Friday Reflection
Generosity and Gratitude Lead to Abundance: After the crowd was fed, twelve baskets of leftovers were collected, showing the abundance that comes from Jesus. When we live with generosity and gratitude, trusting Jesus with what we have, we often find that He provides more than enough.
Friday Verse
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT)
Friday Questions
How can I practice generosity in my life, trusting that God will provide in abundance? What steps can I take to live with a heart of gratitude for what I have?
Friday Insight Post
by Karen Heal
For me, an important point of this story is not so much a little boy’s lunch as it is Jesus’ overwhelming generosity. If you want to get really energized about God’s generosity, Google “Bible verses about the rewards of giving.” God makes us very intentional promises about the rewards He has for those who share His blessings with others. Luke 6:38 is fun to visualize: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (NLT)
I picture myself on our front step on Halloween holding a big bowl of candy–like God’s blessings poured into my lap. My purpose is not to eat the candy myself but to give it all away. In real life, of course, I’d run out of candy and turn off the porch light, but in my little story picture, God just keeps refilling the candy bowl.
When I give away blessings to others, God keeps pouring them into my lap. Instead of just a bowl, I am a blessing dispenser. I will overflow with His kindness and love. I will generously provide for those in need and work to grow His kingdom. I get His daily provision, too. I never run out because He keeps filling me up; the more I give, the more He gives me. Not only that: While we enjoy the blessings that we’re sharing here on earth, we also get credit for them as treasures stored up in heaven (Matthew 6:20). Ultimately, God is funding our “retirement” account. Isn’t that amazing?
What if instead I said, “God, I don’t want to bother you. You don’t owe me anything because I can do for myself?” I think a good heavenly Father would be hurt and disappointed. We’d be like who C.S. Lewis called, “an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea (The Weight of Glory.) We all understand intuitively that a graceful and grateful response is a gift back to the giver.
I wonder what it was like for the disciples to watch those baskets keep filling up with fish and bread—so much more than they even needed! It’s God’s generous pleasure to bless us beyond our imagination. It’s our service and joy to accept those blessings gratefully and to keep passing them along.
Karen Heal
Small Group Leader & Unbound Team Member