“Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat.” ~ Matthew 14:16 (NIV)

Two weeks ago, Pastor Yvan Pierre preached an inspiring message at our Deer Lake services (if you missed it, you can find it here).

During his message, he said something that has stuck with me for the past two weeks. He said,

“Give what you have and give thanks.”

Give what you have.  Not what you wish you had.  Not what you don’t have.  Not what someone else has.  Give what you have.  Give thanks.  Give knowing you get to participate in the work and ministry of Jesus.  Give from a grateful heart.  Give thanks to God for who He is and what He has done for you.  Give thanks.

As we prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving, I think Pastor Yvan’s words are right on target.  Give what you have and give thanks.  Let’s explore his encouragement to give and give thanks more.

In Matthew 14, the disciples have every reason to turn the crowds away.  The text says that it is day is almost over, and they are in a desolate place (Matthew 14:15).  Think about that description for a moment. 

Darkness will soon be upon them.  The place they are in is desolate, remote, and without resources.

When you factor this in with the fact that they have over 5,000 people with them in this dark and desolate place, you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  A crowd of over 5,000 hungry people in the darkness without food can quickly become a mob.  Things could get very dangerous, very quickly. 

The disciples’ reaction to their circumstances (the size of the crowd, the resources of the land, the nearness of nightfall) is incredibly reasonable, but here’s what we learn from Jesus:

Faith doesn’t always operate within the confines of earthly reason.

From a purely human perspective, sending the people away was the right thing to do.  This would give the people enough time and enough light to make their way back to their homes where they can provide a proper meal for themselves.  The only problem with this logic is, as followers of Jesus, we don’t live from a merely human perspective for with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). 

What is logical without Jesus is often illogical with Him.  So, let me ask you this – does the logic of your life reflect a life with or without Jesus? 

I’m not trying to suggest that every decision of every day should look supernatural and miraculous.  Sometimes you must send the crowd away (please remember Jesus didn’t feed every single crowd he came across).  

I think the question I’m asking is this: 

Are we open to the logic of Jesus when it does come?  For when it does, it will probably look and sound and feel counterintuitive to everything else we know.

It was entirely acceptable for the disciples to suggest sending the crowd away… until Jesus said otherwise.  The moment He said, “You feed them.  You give them something to eat” what once make sense had to be reimagined through the lens of faith – through the lens of Jesus’ word. 

The moment Jesus called the disciples to feed the crowds in that dark and desolate place, their former logic became illogical, their reason unreasonable, and their sensibilities insensible.  The moment Jesus called the disciples to feed the crowds, their little became a lot.  Their ‘not enough’ became ‘more than enough’.  The bread became a bounty, and the fish became a feast.

But we got ahead of ourselves a bit there, didn’t we?

The bread and fish of the disciples wasn’t enough when Jesus asked for it; it became enough when they gave it to Jesus.  They had to let it go and give it away for it to be transformed into something greater than it was when they had it. 

The same is true our ‘loaves and fish’.  In our hands alone, it’s not enough.  But when we surrender it to God and trust Him with what we have, all the old logic goes out the window.  In the hands of Jesus, our fish can become a feast, our bread can become a bounty, and what’s leftover will exceed what we started with (Matthew 14:20).

As you prepare your heart for Thanksgiving, I want you to ask yourself that question again: Does the logic of your life reflect a life with or without Jesus? 

Will you answer the call of Jesus?

Will you trust Him with your ‘loaves and fish’?

Will you give God what you have and give thanks?

May we be people whose lives reflect the logic of Jesus.  May we give Him thanks and praise and all we have for the glory of God and the sake of the world.