Hi, It’s Tuesday’s Daily Podcast. Yesterday we heard the story of the faithful Canaanite woman persevering in prayer. Today’s passage is Matthew 15:29-39 – the feeding of the four thousand. We are going to focus on verses 33-37. 

His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”  

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.  

Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 

REFLECTION:

I have a question for you this morning; when it comes to money, objects, opportunities. Do you believe that there is plenty to go around or do you see that life only has so much for you – so you have to take and then protect what is yours? How does that mindset affect your day to day? 

Stephen Covey, in his bestseller, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, wrote about this in terms of people who live with a scarcity mentality or an abundance mentality.  

A scarcity mentality refers to people seeing life as a finite pie, so that if one person takes a big piece, that leaves less for everyone else. A person with this mentality has a short-term focus, sees limitations, won’t take risks and looks to control outcomes. They need I to make sure they look good to succeed. 

I have had times when I have lived that way, particularly recently with our turbulent personal circumstances and with the added pressure we all have with COVID, it’s ramped up a notch. It is perfectly normal to do this especially when you are living with a pain or struggle, a survival instinct kicks in and you are looking to protect yourself and those you love.  

The disciples even showed that when they asked “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”. Their reality was guided by their mindset … look at what we lack, there is a limit to how many people we can feed with what we have, there is only so much to go around! You know what … this is perfectly understandable but Jesus loves us too much to leave us there, he wants us to see the world as he sees it – with an abundance mentality.  

An abundance mentality looks at the world in a polar opposite way. A person with this mentality has a long-term focus, they see opportunities, they think big and take risks, they trust the process. Jesus didn’t put a limit on what was there, he thought big and knew that if I succeed or you succeed, we all succeed.  

Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 

It was no coincidence there were 7 baskets left over – 7 is the number of abundance and completeness. Jesus was helping his disciples to change their perspectives and see the world in a different way from scarcity to abundance. There is a lesson in that for us all to look for open doors not closed ones, to think of investment and not cost control, to embrace risk and not fear it. 

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus help us to see the world through your eyes, to see an abundance where others might see scarcity, and live the full and abundant life to have called us to. A life that sees open doors, think big and trusts your process. Amen! 

BIBLE READING: Matthew 15:29-39

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.’

His disciples answered, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?’

‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked.

‘Seven,’ they replied, ‘and a few small fish.’

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterwards the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.