A Happy Meal

Today’s Verse:

And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. ~Matthew 14:17

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Many years ago, McDonald’s® copyrighted the idea of a “Happy Meal®” for children on their fast food menu. The simple menu selection in child-friendly packaging has been a marketing hit for many years. Parents and kids alike expect a “Happy Meal®” selection when they stop at a McDonald’s®. This morning, we see another happy meal that served to be a blessing and a powerful lesson for God’s people.

We see a lack.

Jesus has been in a remote area teaching a large multitude of people. As the day is approaching an end, He encourages His disciples to give these people something to eat. Their first response is to send the multitude away and let them take care of their own meal. The second response is that there is inadequate resources for them to feed this large group of people. As far as the disciples are concerned, there is a lack on their part to feed the people. More often than not, we are hindered from doing something big for God because our response is on what we lack. We feel tha we lack the ideas, the money, the manpower, the resources, or the time. When our focus is on what we think we lack, nothing gets done for the Lord.

We see the little.

The disciples go on a search among those attending to see what they can find. The best they can locate is a little lad whose mother packed a small snack bag for him. Inside this snack bag is five little barley loaves and two small fishes: enough as a snack for a little lad, but certainly not enough for several thousand people. We must be careful not to despise the day of small things. The hymn writer wrote “Little is Much when God is in It.” Throughout the Bible, God uses little things to accomplish His will. He used a little maid to bring Naaman to Elisha. He used a little widow to teach a lesson about giving our all.

We see the Lord.

The Lord blesses the small “happy meal” and divides it up into equal portions for all the apostles. Next, they are to distribute it to the multitude. Amazingly before their eyes, they see the loaves and fishes multiply. There is more than enough to feed everyone adequately and even have leftovers! When they take baskets to collect the uneaten leftovers, twelve baskets of the fragments are collected. The Lord did the extraordinary by multiplying the loaves and fishes. The Lord gave them extras that were collected to testify of His miraculous power to change the loaves and fishes. It was the Lord Who took control. It was the Lord Whose power was at work. It was the Lord Who made an impact that day.

We see the lessons.

First, we see a lesson on God’s power. There is nothing too hard for God to do. Second, we see a lesson on faith. The disciples followed through as the Lord had instructed them, but none of them had faith in the Lord’s ability. God is only limited by our faith. Third, we see a lesson about bread. Jesus is the Bread of Life. The bigger application in this story is that Jesus is the spiritual bread for those without Him. Those who take all of Him by faith are saved from their sins and receive God’s gift of eternal life. The little lad was the main person who received the biggest blessing. He willingly gave his happy meal to the Lord and later received back much more that he took home. Would you trust the Lord for the “happy meal” that He places in your life?

Have a faith-enriched God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Ecclesiastes 9-12

#Loaves #Matthew #Faith #Fishes #Feeding #Miracle