John 6:13, “And so they gathered them up, and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.”
Through natural eyes, feeding the thousands before them was impossible and totally taxed their understanding of how the need could be met, but when Jesus takes over, the provision is always bigger than the need, so much so that there is always plenty left over. We often face situations that seem overwhelming, and if we try to deal with the situations for the Lord out of sincerity and determination, it will feel like we are always coming short or just barely getting by. So many Christians live their lives feeling overwhelmed, falling into bed each night with a sigh of relief that they made it another day. Living that way is never God’s will for our lives. Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That abundant life is the very life of Christ Himself, and Jesus is always abundantly more than adequate for the tasks at hand that make up our daily living. He hasn’t called us to survive but has, instead, invited us to thrive in the superabundant, more than enough sufficiency of His grace. One of the characteristics of a life that is abiding in Christ is that there’s always the sense that there is an abundance left over for whatever life throws at you. People don’t get on your last nerve because Jesus doesn’t have a last nerve. There is always extra love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “the God of limitless ability has abounded all grace to you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work.” He doesn’t say that God has given you enough grace in Christ to barely get by every day. Instead, he uses the word “abound,” which means extravagantly more than what is needed. In Christ, there is a peace that passes understanding and a joy unspeakable and full of glory as we lay everything at the feet of the one who is always more than adequate in His abundance. Spirit filled living, which is the life of Christ being lived in and through us, is rivers (plural) of living waters flowing out of our innermost being. There should always be 12 basketfuls left over. This is not the super deluxe version of Christianity that’s available to only a select few, but this is normal, run-of-the-mill, brown-bag life in Christ. The situation of feeding the 5000 looked like an impossibility to the disciples, but to Jesus, it was simply an opportunity. Your best for God will always leave you burned out, full of despair and discouragement, but His best in and through you, facing every situation that makes up your life, will always leave you with more than enough left over for the next thing that needs to be done. Abounding in every good work is our privilege.