Today’s Scripture:
John 6:5-9 KJV
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. [8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, [9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Gratitude is an attitude. Peter, in our text, says to the Lord, "But what are they among so many? To a certain extent, he was right. In the context of the text, there are over 5000 men who need to be fed. Not to mention women and children. So, Peter’s response to God is not far-fetched. It's a logical response.
That statement, what these are among so many got me to do this devotional. I mean, I've been there so many times in my life where I say to the Lord, I don't have enough; what is this for what I am facing? How will I make ends meet this month when this is all I have? How many of us have been there? You are looking at the bills in front of you, the food you need for the week, the layoffs taking place, the empty refrigerator, and on top of it, there's sickness in the house. Yes, we logically ask questions like Peter: How is this going to work? What is this among so many needs and requirements?
But we need not to miss the other side of this text. Jesus is pointing to what they have, not what they don't have. Often, we look to what we do not have instead of seeing what we have, giving thanks for what we have, and working with what we have. What did Jesus do that we overlook so many times in our lives? Jesus gave thanks for what was available, and then God multiplied it. We need always to have an attitude of gratitude.
As I was driving to the store a couple of days ago to exchange some bottles and cans, I saw a lady who had two or 3 big bags of bottles and cans and was going to exchange them. I suddenly felt like giving her what I had instead of changing it for myself. I stopped, made a U-turn in the road, and drove back to where I saw her. She was still there. I approached her cautiously so as not to scare her. I'm black; she's ...okay, you guessed it. So, not to startle her or cause any issues, I said to her from a distance, "Would you like these bottles and cans? It's not much, but I wanted to give them to you."
Her response was, thank you, it's still something, thank you". It's still something. That thing never left me; as I drove, I started to look deeper and deeper into what she said; it was still something. I started to be thankful to God for what I had, not for what I didn't have. I said, Lord, thank you for your protection, love, guidance, and the bills already paid this month for my home, children, and wife. I felt gratitude flooding me and my family.
In essence, Jesus said to the disciples, who said what are these among so many? it's still something; if you add Thanksgiving to what you have left, I will smile at it and multiply it. Family, you might be living in a season where you don't have all that you want, but you still have something; that lady was so thankful for the few bottles I gave her that her statement so blessed me it's still something.
My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory. You still have something. It might not be all you want or desire, but you still have something. Thank God for what you have today.
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