Go and See
This devotional was written by Mike DeVries
But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” —Mark 6:37-38
On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, those many years ago, standing in the midst of hungry people, a single voice is heard, asking a most penetrating question,
How many loaves do you have?
The disciples, astonished at the question, essentially replied, “We don’t know. And even if we did, would it really matter?” They were so blinded by the need that they could not even begin to acknowledge that the solution was in their midst, perhaps even within their very hands.
What Jesus said to them, He says to us. Go and see.
Perhaps what you are looking for—the very solution—is closer than you ever imagined. It might be in your own two hands. It may sound trite, but it’s profoundly true. As Christians, we are the hands and feet of Jesus.
Much like the disciples, it would be easy for us to stand on the side of the impossible. It would be easy to see the needs and be overwhelmed with all that we are not able to do. But if anything is clear from the life of Jesus, it is this: The world of the impossible has been overthrown, and in its place a kingdom of possibilities is beginning to invade.
Christianity, at its core, is not about sitting, waiting, hoping for some future event to happen; it is about taking action in the here and now because we believe that something has already happened, and is happening – something beautiful, something that makes all the difference in this world. As kingdom subjects, we are invited not only to embrace this new kind of life, we are entrusted to proclaim the reality of this kind of life.
The kingdom has come near.
What was, what is… is not what could be.
The mystery that we have been invited into is the same mystery that the disciples were confronted with on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We are not spectators, but active participants, partnering with God in the transformation of this world. More than just talking about what needs to be done, or even merely praying for it to happen, we are invited to embody the answer to a broken and hurting world.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are there situations where God is calling you to be the change you want to see in the world? If so, where?
2. What are some practical steps you can take this week to be the change you desire to see in those situations?
FURTHER READING:
Mark 6:30-44; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
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