Faith Feeds—Not Greed
I have been chomping at the bits to tell all of you about what God’s been doing lately with our music and in our community. But every time I pick up my phone to make a post or reel, God stops my hand. I want to push through the halt and proceed to share whatever I want to share, but that gentle, firm hand still rests in front of me saying,“wait”. A word I hate almost as much as my now 4-year-old son. He is as energetic as they come, ready to run for no reason at all. Just give him the go-ahead and you’ll only see the back of his head and in a flash he’s gone. A sweet shop-owner recently told me her nick-name for him is Lightning, because that’s how quick he is. I wonder if that’s what God my Father would nick-name me when I try to do things quickly and recklessly without permission. I know He loves me too much to let me have my own way though. I am stubborn, but I also love Him too much to want to grieve him with my quick movements. So here I stay, impatiently waiting for the go-ahead. I have reels and posts exploding in my mind that I cannot wait to create and share, ones that I believe God gave me the idea for! So what’s the hold up? If it’s God-given, shouldn’t that mean I have the green light? Apparently not.
Here’s what He’s doing. He is wrecking my dependance on people. He is demolishing my concern for people’s good opinion. Even the people I love most. Like the man in Luke 9:59 who told Jesus he would follow Him after he buried his father. But Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” God doesn’t want us counting anything more important than following Him. Not tradition, not family, not anything—no matter how good or “important” it is to us. This seems “extreme” to some. But I’m learning that God is, in fact, an extremest when it comes to our devotion to Him. All or nothing. Hot or cold.
I suppose that’s why He has me where I am. He doesn’t want a mediocre representation of Himself out in the world. One tainted by motivations of self. Self-gain or self-importance. Even if He has inspired me—ESPECIALLY if HE has inspired me, HE and HE ALONE should be able to have the say so of when it enters the world. It’s definitely a moment of uncomfortable growth for me. I’m used to, like my toddlers with a snack, just grabbing whatever my Father gives me at the moment He hands it to me, and running with it. But this time God is giving— then saying wait. "Wait for me. Everything coming to you is only possible because of ME. Do you know that?” Hearing that has only stirred up another question in my mind. For years I’ve wrestled with the thought that He doesn’t really NEED anything I have, or anything I DO , to do what HE’S going to do in the world. So my question is this; “WOULD Jesus have fed the 5000 without the little boys lunch?”
If you don’t know the story, you can go read it now in John 6:1-15. Jesus was speaking to thousands of people and it got to be late in the day and they were all hungry. Jesus asked his disciples where they could buy bread. One disciple just focused on how much money it would cost to feed all those people. Another of his disciples had enough faith to bring a little boy to Jesus who had some fish and bread. But then he chucked that faith away after feeling embarrassed that he even brought it up and said, “but what are they among so many?” So much to be said about this amazing passage. But back to my question, would he have fed all those people without the boys’ lunch. And the answer I believe, is a staggering, No! Why? Because Jesus’ goal was not so much to feed the 5000, but rather to evoke and awake the people’s FAITH! In Matt 13:58 it says that He did not do many miracles in that town because of their unbelief! He would have done so much more, but the unbelief—lack of FAITH, caused Him to leave miracles undone! After Jesus received the 5 loaves and 2 fish, the Bible says He Thanked God for it and handed it out, only for the disciples to find out it had multiplied! If He had not been given the loaves and fish, He would not have had anything to Thank God for—nothing to multiply! Okay, I’m not a Bible scholar—this isn’t the ‘end all, be all’ to this story. But it’s what’s God’s teaching me personally right now…
One more fact, from that story, and I’ll sum up. Stick with me, it’s good. God told me to check out the place where it happened. Bethsaida. Where did Bethsaida get its name? It means hunting/fishing village in Hebrew. Wait, what? You mean to tell me that in a fishing village, there was no food given except for by a little boy? Where were all the fishermen, business men, or Peter, Andrew, or Philip’s connections? They were born there! Where were all the goods and resources being hidden while Jesus and all these other folks were flocking into town? People were hoarding them, as people often do. No one had the faith to offer anything they had to Jesus. Except that one boy. Faith feeds people—not greed. Jesus did many mighty works in Bethsaida, but the people there did not repent. (Matt.11:20) They never did have Faith! So Jesus said “Woe to Bethsaida.” (Luke 10:13-15, Matt 11:20-24) It’s a pretty strong warning and curse, let me put it here for you to read. Jesus is not playin’.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
His disappointment wasn’t that the people in the town didn’t give of their resources. His disappointment was because they didn’t have FAITH. Jesus is a MULTIPLIER!! But He has to be given SOMETHING from SOMEBODY in order to multiply it!
He follows that verse of condemnation with this, “Thank you Father that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
He wants US to be more like little Children in our Faith. If you are reading this, you have that invitation. God is revealing it to you, and you can be like a child and believe Him and take Him at His Word. Giving to Him what only He can multiply. What He created and gave to you in the first place! Be like that boy, not like the fearful, hoarding fisherman in the village.
