August 18, 2024 Devo

August 18th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
The Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6)
Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” – John 6:7 (NLT)
“A Grandchild-like Faith”

We get to have our youngest grandson, Adrian, who is three, for a few hours today. Kids are so adorable when they’re young. Everything is fascinating to them. They turn boxes into caves and blankets into tents. Simple toys with flickering lights and bells and noises can hypnotize them for hours.
But the other thing I love about young kids is that they never assume that they have to do everything, or almost anything, by themselves. They ask for help getting their food or snacks. They ask for help to turn on the TV or to get out the toys. When the batteries die on the toys they’re playing with, they don’t even try to change them out. They bring the toys to us grandparents and ask us to change them out. They assume that OUR ability is THEIR ability. And they never doubt that we will get it done.
Contrast the faith that grandkids have in us to the lack of faith that we often have in God. When we feel as if God is nudging us to teach, lead, or serve, how many of us look in the mirror and say, “I can’t do that!”? We forget that it’s not about us. It’s about what God can do THROUGH us! HE is our sufficiency. When we find ourselves in circumstances that are bigger than us or facing problems that we don’t know how to solve, how often do we throw up our hands and say, “It can’t be done!”? But we forget that God is our Provider, our Deliverer, and our Way Maker. He CAN DO what we cannot. And no task is too big for Him.
Our passage today is a great example. Philip had already seen Jesus turn water into wine and perform several incredibly powerful miracles. But when Jesus posed the question to him about getting food for the crowd, Philip didn’t even think about Jesus. He only looked to his own resources. As a result, he was overwhelmed and panicked. The answer he needed was standing right in front of him.
So, what big thing are you up against today? Is it overwhelming or does it seem impossible? What if you stopped thinking only about what YOU can do or what YOU have or what ideas YOU can come up with? Factor Jesus in, and just see how that changes things. A grandchild-like faith can change everything. That’s God’s Word for you today.