BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Thankfully, there was one disciple there that day who did hear Jesus’ question. It was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. As he was thinking about where they could buy some bread, he saw a young boy who was working as a vendor selling bread and fish to the people. The little fellow had already sold almost all he had, but Andrew brought him to Jesus anyway and said, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” (verse 9). Andrew was on the right spiritual track when he did that. He had listened and responded to Jesus’ question. But he, too, quickly got sidetracked when he started thinking about the limited resources before him instead of his unlimited God. Like Philip, Andrew got caught up in thinking about the problem instead of keeping his attention focused on Jesus. Interestingly enough, Jesus didn’t even reply to Philip and Andrew. He didn’t respond to their concerns at all. They hadn’t really listened to His question or grasped what He’d been teaching them. So He didn’t have anything to say to them. Get Involved in a Miracle Remember that the next time God doesn’t seem to be answering your questions or addressing your concerns. Maybe it’s because you haven’t been paying attention to His WORD. Maybe it’s because you’ve been so busy thinking about and reacting to your problems that you’ve failed to listen to (and act on) what He’s already said to you. If that’s the case, He doesn’t have any grounds on which to communicate with you. That’s the position the disciples were in that day. But Jesus didn’t leave them there. Instead He gave them one simple instruction: “Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would” (verses 10-11). Even though the disciples didn’t pass the test, Jesus gave them the privilege to take part in what He was doing. Despite their weaknesses, He was still able to capture their thinking and get them involved in a miracle. In His hands, Jesus took the little loaves and fish that Andrew brought to Him. He BLESSED them, gave each disciple a portion and—miracle of miracles—those portions multiplied and fed the entire crowd! What made that possible? The anointing of increase! That is the anointing that’s in the hands of Jesus! It’s in His ministry. It’s in His WORD. It’s in His Spirit. It’s in His Name. It’s in His blood and it is in and on His people! Jesus’ disciples had that anointing of increase on them even though they didn’t understand it very well. As a result, they were able to cooperate with Jesus and become a source of BLESSING to thousands of people that day. They were able to give those folks not just a little something to eat, as Philip thought, but rather as much bread as they desired. 24 : BVOV

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