Ordinary Time

Pause

We scramble through many of our days, hopeful that things will turn out well, and sometimes fearful that we may come up short. Will our resources be equal to each day’s demands?

As followers of Christ, we want to be faithful—and capable—in the face of life’s challenges.

We should know that there is enough grace, enough mercy, enough love—and enough time, just now—to meet the day.

Listen

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 14:19–21

Think

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that we’re not given the hard data until the very end of this story. Up until the last verse we only know that it’s a crowd for whom Jesus and the disciples have become caterers. “Crowd” could be just about any number above, say, a couple dozen, depending on the circumstances.

But now we know that it’s a crowd for real—5,000 men and whatever huge amount of women and children were there too. Impressive. And though we don’t know how large the baskets were, there is still this: there was food left over!

But don’t be overly impressed with that 5,000 number. The point here is that there was enough and more than enough.

There still is.

Nick Foster

Pray

Lord, help me to remember that you make available to me all I need to take on this day and every day. Use all that I have within me for your glory. Amen.

Go

There is plenty. You need only take a little time to wait on God; then you will be prepared for the work God has for you.

So do not be discouraged; you can make a difference. The result may be greater than you can imagine.

There is enough and more than enough mercy, grace, and love to carry you. To carry us all.