KCM special issues

B V O V : 5 What could He possibly be thinking? Actually, the Bible tells us exactly what He was thinking. It says, " is he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do" (verse 6). Jesus already had a plan from God. He didn't ask the disciples where they were going to buy bread to feed the crowd because He didn't know what to do. He knew exactly how He was going to feed those 5,000 people. This was a test to see what the disciples had learned from Jesus. He had been teaching and training them. ey'd been watching and listening to Him and knew His basic methods of operation. So, they should have had some idea of what He was going to do. Who Are You Listening To? The disciples, however, didn't pass the test. Instead, Philip jumped up and said, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not suffi cient for them, that every one of them may take a little" (verse 7). Philip's answer proves he never really heard Jesus' question. Jesus didn't ask how much money they had. He didn't say anything about money. He simply asked where they would buy bread to feed the crowd. Philip made the same mistake most of us make. He got caught up in thinking about the problem. He was fi guring out how many people there were, how much money was in the treasury and how much bread costs. He was so preoccupied with his own doubts and questions that the problems were speaking to him more loudly than e LORD. As a result, he answered Jesus without really listening to Him. We all do that at times, don't we? We get so focused on our problems that we're not able to hear the proper questions and answers from e WORD of God. We end up trying to fi gure out what we're going to do instead of looking to God for what He can do! 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 fi sh to the people. e little fellow had already sold almost all he had, but Andrew brought him to Jesus anyway and said, " ere is a lad here, which hath fi ve barley loaves, and two small fi shes: 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. ey 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. by Kenneth Copeland 1 God can do more than just prosper you personally, He is able to make you a fi nancial BLESSING to others as well. (2 Cor. 9:8) 2 God's prospering grace works fi rst in your life by prompting you to give. (2 Cor. 8:1-2) 3 If you only have a little to give, start there, and believe God to multiply the seed that you sow. (2 Cor. 9:10) 4 Giving starts the receiving cycle. (Luke 6:38) POINTS TO GET YOU THERE:

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