Broken To Be Given

Then He commanded the multitudes to sit on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples to the multitudes. (Matthew 14: 19)

On Sunday morning, July 26, 2009, I stood in the pulpit at the Colony of Mercy Chapel at America’s Keswick with my Bible opened to Matthew 14: 13-21 and a bottle of Pepto Bismol ® in my hand . I can remember the morning as though it were yesterday, because I knew most of the people in the audience that day could identify with what I was about to say.

I read the passage of Scripture and then I held up the well-known bottle of pink medicine and read from the label, Shake well before using.

The stage is set! Herod had just murdered John the Baptist. Jesus was grieving the death of His cousin, friend and forerunner. In His grief, Jesus withdrew to a place of solitude and rest. However, He found Himself surrounded by 5000 (when women and children were added to the number, since only the men were counted, the number could have been around 20,000 people). The disciples wanted to send the people home. Jesus instructed the disciples to give the people something to eat. The disciples informed Jesus that they did not have the resources to feed so many people.

Do you ever feel that the demands upon your life surpass your ability to meet those demands? Two facts faced the disciples: 1) They were overwhelmed by the enormity of the need. Almost 20,000 hungry people stood before them waiting to be fed. 2) They were overwhelmed by the inadequacy on their part to meet the need.

In John 6:9, we learn that Andrew found a lad in the crowd who had five loaves and two fish. However, what good was this small portion when so many needed to be fed? The miracle occurred in verse 19, when Jesus broke and gave.

A great lesson is taught here. It is not our strength that the Lord needs, it is our brokenness. A.W. Tozer once said, “It is doubtful that God will use a man greatly, until He has hurt him deeply.”

Shake well before using. Are you ready to be broken in order to be used by the Master? Dr. Roger D. Willmore is Senior Pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church and will be speaking this summer at America’s Keswick, July 20-25, 2014 with Dr. Dino Pedrone.

Keswick, America’s  (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 5590-5617).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 13-15

Think About This:Works? Works? A man get to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand!George Whitefield

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9