August 16, 2024 Devo

August 16th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
The Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6)
Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Phillip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Phillip, for he already knew what he was going to do. – John 6:5-6 (NLT)
“Good Luck On the Test”

When you first read the passage for today, it seems a bit unfair. Jesus asked Phillip a question about a problem that He already knew how He was going to solve. Why would He do that? Was He trying to embarrass Phillip? Was He trying to prove how much Philiip didn’t know? No. He was using the moment as a teaching, mentoring, or training moment.
The primary goal of Jesus’ ministry was not to perform miracles. It was to develop a group of followers upon which He could establish the church. Jesus wasn’t interested in wowing a crowd with His powers. He wanted to establish a Church for the future. For that, He’d have to make leaders out of these followers. And that was no small task.
So when Jesus asked Phillip the question, He was checking his heart and making him think. The questions behind the question were ones such as, “Do you care about these people or are you only concerned about YOU?” That was a test of compassion. Another question was, “How are you going to fix this HUGE issue of hunger?” That was a test of his problem-solving skills. Leaders have to be able to THINK and think CREATIVELY. Another question in the test was, “Do you believe that I, Jesus, can handle something this big?” That was a test of faith. It’s one thing to believe God can heal a person or two. But feed over five thousand? Now THAT’S faith!
The testing wasn’t just to see if Phillip had it or not, it was to develop all those things. Jesus was using the question to help Phillip become more compassionate, be a better thinker, and have more faith. It wasn’t to pass or fail him as a disciple. It was an experience to help him become a better one.
Are YOU being tested these days? Do you feel as if God has YOU in circumstances that are challenging you to develop your character? Is He withholding giving you the answers so that you have to do a little thinking on your own? Are you up against a wall that you can’t see any way over, around, or through? Maybe He’s testing your faith. Listen very carefully. God is FOR you, not against you. He wants you to succeed, not fail. But one thing is for sure. He’s always going to push you to make you BETTER. Good luck on the test. That’s God’s Word for you today.