“As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.“
“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The multiplication to feed the five thousand was one of many great miracles that Jesus did when He were here, in flesh and bood, walking between us!
However, He didn’t make it all by Himself. I mean, He is God, He could make the food appears from nothing, without any help. Neverthless, He chose to use something simple, something the disciples had with them: Five loaves and two fishes!
It’s been a while that God is speaking to me about multiplication! Have you ever experience something like that: Every time you open the bible, or watch a movie or heard a testimony, God is showing you the same thing? With me, is multiplication!
Saturday, I was watching the extras of the serie “The Chosen” and, Dallas Jenkins was telling the testimony about how things started, before He had the opportunity to direct this amazing serie! (By the way, this picture it’s from a scene of The Chosen)
He started making a short-film for his church, about the birth of Christ. This was what God used to start the whole thing and catch the attention of the right people! He said that one day, during the whole process, he was sitting on his computer writing and feeling frustrated about all the things that went wrong, when he received a message from a distant connection of his facebook, telling him: “It is not your job to feed the 5 thousand!” He was astonished! He didn’t know this person very well, but God used this connection to open his eyes about what would going to happen; He had a tool, a short-film, God had the way and the power to make it happen!
That got my attention! Because, it’s really not our job to perform a miracle, but God expects that we use what we have, so He can show His Glory through our lives!
The parable of the “Bags of gold”, (investment or talents in others versions) also tells us about multiplication, but in this case, from the other perspective!
The Story About Investment
“ While he had their attention, and because they were getting close to Jerusalem by this time and expectation was building that God’s kingdom would appear any minute, he told this story:
“There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, ‘Operate with this until I return.’
Every one of us received something from God, a talent, a gift or many gifts, something “to invest”, that are our responsability to use wisely, with a servant’s heart, so we can multiply the kingdom of God on the earth! We can choose to be like the firsts two servants and apply it in a way that produces even more “gold” or we can be fearful, like the third servant, and dig a whole to hide away what God gave to us!
Why we would choose to do that?Well, I can think about some reasons: We can hide our talents (What Jesus gave us to invest!) because we are afraid to make mistakes, because we don’t want to be judged by other people. Or maybe it’s because we look around, comparing ourselves and then, we decide that our gift is not good enough, that we can’t create value for the kingdom of God. Big mistake!
I already experienced this fear of failure multiple times in my life. I shut the voice of the Holy Spirit telling me to share something, because I was afraid of being wrong, afraid of being rejected somehow. It took me a while to change it and I can tell: It is not easy to grow, to become more mature and confident, but it is possible!
Every time you trust and say yes to God, putting your gifts in action, He is there with you, showing His faithfulness and making what you can’t make by yourself!
The first time I had to share something in public,to a lot of people, I was terrified, but God made me brave enough to share it anyway. The first time I had to preach in another language,in a strange country, and actually, it was my first time at all, I was shaking inside, very insecure and fearful, but at the moment I step in and started to talk, all the fear and insecurity melt away! I had something inside me, something to encourage and touch other people and God had the power to make it happen, in the right way!
It is not easy to start, but God leads us, very patiently, holding us every step on the way, so we can grow in confidence and partnership with Him!
What He called you to do? You don’t need to be shy and fearful, trying to hide your treasure away! What He gave to you has value and purpose, not matter what it is! And you don’t need to compare yourself with others, you are unique and very precious to Him!
However, if you choose to hide away and dig a whole to keep it “secure”, you gonna regret later:
“But the citizens there hated him. So they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: ‘We don’t want this man to rule us. When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.
“The first said, ‘Master, I doubled your money.’
“He said, ‘Good servant! Great work! Because you’ve been trustworthy in this small job, I’m making you governor of ten towns.’
“The second said, ‘Master, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.’
“He said, ‘I’m putting you in charge of five towns.’
“The next servant said, ‘Master, here’s your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar. To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don’t suffer fools gladly.’(Luke 19:12-27 MSG)
What do you want to hear from Jesus after this run is over: “Well done faithful servant, great job!” or “You wicked, lazy servant”? I don’t want to freak you out, but this is what the bible says and, He will judge what you did with what He gave to you to multiply! It is our choice to be faithful with what we received or not!
I am sharing it not to make you feel bad, but to encourage you! To be honest, I still have problens to speak in public at times, I still feel insecure about what God is telling me to share with others, I still have doubts about myself. but I am chosing to take one step at the time, instead of being paralyzed by fear! I am moving forward, no matter how insecure I may feel.
If God has a purpose and a destiny for you, and He has, He will make a way! He will help you every time you ask Him for help! You are not alone on this journey of discovering who you are and what you are called for! Listen to Him, listen to the voice inside of you, pay attention on the road you already travelled!
What it says about you? What you have learnerd during your journey, that you can share with others to inspire and help them?! What are you passionate about?
Follow the signs that God is giving to you and you gonna be able to figure out on time. However, this is not about the destiny, but how you choose to walk this journey, using everything you have, and trusting God with what you don’t have, to multiply His kingdom, to spread the Good News of Christ!
Everything you surrender to God, putting on His hands, He will use to multiply and feed the five thousand, beggining with the simple thing you have!
Be strong and corageous, my friend! You can do this =)
See you next time, have a good day!
I was lost. His love found me! 