John 6:12-13 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
They were filled. They ate until they could eat no more or were satisfied. That’s usually what we mean after eating, and we say, “I’m full.” The point I want to drive home today is that when Jesus spiritually feeds His people, He feeds them until they are filled with His love and grace. John wrote in chapter 1:16, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” In Ephesians 5:18, Paul wrote, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” To say it in the terms of these verses in John 6, “Eat and drink of the Spirit until you are full.” You don’t need to be afraid that He’ll run out of food or drink. There will be some left over for you to give to others.
Jesus gave His disciples confidence to ask to be filled three times in His last instructions. John 14:12-14, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 16:23, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” There are many other verses of Scripture to which we could turn for us to be encouraged to ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
I ask for the anointing and filling of the Holy Spirit in my daily morning live to love with Jesus prayer. “Father, anoint and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can love and trust You and love those You put in my path today, for Your glory.” We can only love with Jesus out of His fullness. May we abide in Jesus until we are full and don’t feel like we can take anymore!
When the disciples gathered the leftovers, each came back with a basket of bread. Jesus was intent on nothing being lost, so we may suppose that the leftover bread was given away to others. When we abide in Jesus until we can’t take more, that’s when we’ll find there are leftovers to give away to others. When we are filled with the grace of God, it will spill over to others. That’s how He’s glorified. God is glorified in the fullness. Had the people still gone home hungry, the glory of God would be diminished. He is glorified in the overflow, the leftovers, so to speak.
So today, let’s be encouraged to not be satisfied with a little of Jesus. Let us eat of His fullness until we are filled to overflow with His love and grace. Out of His abundance, we will then have what we need to feed others for the glory of the Father through Jesus Christ, His Son—our daily bread.
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