Oodles of Noodles (Week 32)

​The spaghetti pots were full and the doorbell kept ringing.  As parents of a toddler, my husband and I decided to forego a traditional Valentine’s Day celebration and instead throw a Spaghetti and S-Wii-heart Party.  (Remember the Nintendo Wii?) 

​We sent the invitation to neighbors, friends, and acquaintances and naively did not ask for an RSVP figuring that only a handful of people would show up for an evening of pasta and video games when they could be out celebrating with romantic, candlelit dinners and roses.  Boy, were we wrong!  By the end of the night, we counted over thirty guests inside our house--every single person we invited came! The problem with this picture:  I bought and prepared food for only about fifteen people.

After hours of feasting and good-natured family friendly competition the evening came to a close and we found ourselves exhausted and happily cleaning up leftovers.  How could leftovers be possible when I had not purchased enough food for our hungry crowd?

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you had little to give but God turned it into exactly what was needed?

Luke 9:10-17 reminds us of a time when Jesus did just that.  Jesus and his apostles had spent some time in the villages of Galilee preaching the Good News and healing the sick.  They were tired and were in need of rest so they slipped away toward the town of Bethsaida seeking solace.  As the apostles were telling Jesus of their adventures in ministry they noticed a crowd following him. 

​Despite his need for rest and rejuvenation, Jesus welcomed the crowd and continued teaching and healing.  As the afternoon faded into evening the apostles begged for Jesus to send the crowd away so the masses could get food and lodging before nightfall. At this point Jesus stunned the disciples with three simple words, “You feed them” (Lk 9:13 NLT). Collectively they came up with a decent excuse to offer the Lord—we don’t have enough food!

Luke 9:13 explains that there were only five loaves and two fish.  Clearly this measly amount would not be enough to feed the crowd of over 5,000 who were gathered.  As Jesus organized the people into small groups and gave thanks for the small picnic, he made sure that every person there was not only fed, but fully satisfied. After the meal, the disciples filled twelve baskets of leftovers!

God takes the little we have to offer Him and increases it to fulfill his purposes. 

Are you feeling tired, weary or drained but the day hasn't even started yet?  Or maybe the weekend is too far away to think about?  Offer what you have to the Lord.  He can take the meager bits that you hold in your hands and turn it into something more useful and productive than you could have imagined.  Is there an area in your life when you feel like there is never enough money, time, focus, energy, effort, appreciation or compassion? 

Ask God to take your sparse supply and supernaturally upsize it!  When we offer God the little that we have and trust him with it, he does the miraculous! And don’t be surprised if you have baskets of leftovers; He specializes in abundance!

Memory verse:  “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

About the Author

It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Dana Schaefer.  My husband Chris and I make our home in northwest Georgia along with our two children ages 14 and 10.  Professionally I serve as Academic Dean at Heritage Bible College.  I love digging deeper into Biblical contexts to see how the ancient words and practices impact our modern lives.  A perfect afternoon would include a good book, a porch swing and a glass of peach tea!

---