Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Let Nothing Be Lost
Today’s Verse:
When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. ~John 6:12
I read the story of a woman who went shopping at a thrift store on a snowy, wintry day. As she entered the store, she took off her $100 rain boots, which were muddy, and left them at the front door. When she had finished shopping and was exiting the store, she noticed that her boots were missing. The clerk did not realize that they were this woman’s boots, mistook them as thrift store merchandise, and sold them for $2! He thought that these boots were on sale and sold them for what he thought they were worth. He was unaware of the value of the boots and thought that they were of little value. This morning, we see a powerful lesson on realizing the value of things that might seem little.
We see the satisfied.
“When they were filled....” Jesus had just performed one of the great miracles of the Bible. He transformed five small loaves of barley and two small fishes so that a multitude of five thousand men plus women and children could be fed. The twelve disciples had the privilege of distributing the food and watching it multiply. No one was unfed or hungry. Everyone took as much as he desired, and everyone was filled. They had no need for any more food. Remember, it is a good thing to be content. It is not a good thing when contentment morphs into complacency and we have need of nothing. We must guard our souls from being so filled that we have no desire for any more. Be careful of becoming “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.”
We see the small.
“Gather up the fragments that remain....” This would have been the leftovers. Amazingly, the people had so much food that most of them had fragments left over. Fragments are the broken pieces and small amounts left over that had lesser importance than the original amount that they took. We might sometimes assign a lesser value on small things than on big things. Small things tend to be ignored. Small things might be thrown away. Small things might be forgotten. While the people who were filled might have seen their fragments as small leftovers, Jesus saw them as important and commanded that all the fragments be gathered up. What might be small to us is big in Jesus' eyes. We must be careful of slighting the fragments that remain. We might take lightly small amounts of time that can be used profitably or small relationships that should have importance. Don’t make Bible reading or prayer fragments that are not important.
We see the significance.
“...That nothing be lost.” Our Lord wanted the disciples to remember the lesson of the miracle, but also the lesson about significance. Savor the blessings. Be thankful for the people whom God has placed in your life. Use your time wisely. Give the best and remaining years of your life to the glory of God. Win souls to Jesus. Be a consistent witness of the gospel. Don’t let opportunities slip through your fingers. Don’t minimize your spiritual gifts. Don’t let the familiar become contemptible. "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost."
Have a prioritized God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Isaiah 42-44
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