There is a story in the Bible we all know, of a boy, who prompted by the Holy Spirit, yielded his plans to the kingdom.
The boy knew it would be a long day, so before he set out that morning to hear the rabbi speak, he put into his cloth lunch bag, five warm loaves his mother had just baked, and two fish his father had caught only hours before. Then, eager not to be late, he walked briskly up the hill to the milling crowd. He with the other children, whose parents allowed them, always sat right at the front where they could practically touch Jesus.
As Jesus began to speak, it seemed that time stood still, and before he was aware of it, the afternoon had passed. When finally he saw how late it was, suddenly he realized he was hungry. He then smelled the bread and fish - he could practically taste them. He said to himself, "I'm starving, as soon as the rabbi is finished, I'm eating!"
Only minutes after the discovery that he was hungry, Jesus did finish speaking. Then Jesus along with the disciples stood up. Jesus looked over the crowed, then turning to Philip asked, "How are you going to feed this crowd."
At that very moment, with his hand in his cloth bag, with his hand on a barley loaf, the boy was arrested by the Holy Spirit. He saw the master didn't have any food and was looking for some. With the Spirit's prompting the boy stood up and boldly strode to Andrew at the edge of the group of disciples and said, "The rabbi can have my meal if he will take it."
Jesus graciously received it from him and invited the boy to sit next to him. Then, like his father would do at home, he blessed the food and broke the bread and fish to divide it among the others.
But to his astonishment, every time He broke it, and gave away half, a whole fish or loaf would remain in Jesus' hands.
The boy left the hill that day without even eating, he'd completely forgot about eating - even with all that food. But he was wide-eyed with amazement, and though all the crowd knew a miracle had occurred, he was right there, at ground zero, as he watched Jesus multiply his humble gift thousands of times over, to feed thousands upon thousands of people.
What small thing, talent,
or ability is God asking each of us to give to the master. What plan of
ours needs to be yielded to him, that he might prosper for the kingdom
beyond our wildest imagination. He will invite us to his side, to
partner with him, as he turns that thing we give him into an eternal blessing
for the kingdom.
lmv: 6/20/2000