Multiplying Grace (Friday Devotional)

 

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.

- John 6:8-11

You’re loading up groceries in the parking lot when you notice out of the corner of your eye that somebody has left their shopping cart in the middle of a parking space. The parking attendant will get to it eventually, of course, but until then nobody will be able to park there. You can ignore the issue, or you can do something.

You’re walking the neighborhood when you see some trash that’s blown onto your neighbor’s lawn. All it will take is another gust of wind for it to find a new place to land, and eventually it will probably make it into a trash can, but for now you’re the only one who sees it. You can ignore the issue, or you can do something.

You’re rushing out of a public building to get to your next appointment when you see an elderly man wheeling his way up the handicap accessible ramp to the door you’ve just exited. There are plenty of other people around to assist him with the door, and he could presumably handle it by himself anyway, but you’re right there. You can ignore the issue, or you can do something.

Every day you’re confronted with tiny, seemingly inconsequential moments like these. You’re given an opportunity to help, and you have to decide whether such a small gesture is worth your time and effort. Do such small acts of kindness really make a difference?

The answer comes from the famous story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. In John’s account of that event, the starting point for that miracle is the obedience and kindness of one boy. His willingness to part with his five loaves of bread and two fish leads to a miraculous feast, enough to feed the entire crowd and still have twelve full baskets left over. Called upon to do something small, his action is multiplied by the Lord.

Jesus will still do that today if you will take the first step of obedience and kindness, just like the boy did that day by the Sea of Galilee. When you have opportunities to show kindness and decency in a world that often can’t be bothered, don’t pass up those opportunities just because they seem too trivial to matter. Such actions may go unnoticed by your neighbors, but they are noticed by the Lord, and he has a way of turning small acts of faith into mighty acts of God.

You can ignore the issues you see—or you can do something, and watch God multiply grace.