Nothing is wasted

(devotional given at Harvest of Hope high school gleaning mission trip at Camp Occohannock, Eastern Shore, Virginia)

Today we're going to read the second part of the feeding of the 5000 story that we started on Tuesday morning.

John 6:12-14 (The Message) - 'When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted." They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves. The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done.'

Don't you just love that last part? As followers of Jesus Christ, as Christians, which literally means "little Christs," as we live as His ambassadors in the world, God is at work among us. He's been at work among us this week!

So in our passage today we see again that Jesus provided enough so that each person present ate their fill. Then He told His helpers to gather the leftovers, much as we've been doing after our meals here. I wonder what the disciples thought of that? When they looked around, what did they see? Scraps, torn pieces of bread, fish skin and scales, a random assortment of bits and pieces. I wonder if all of them even saw the leftovers.

Why did Jesus tell them to gather the leftovers? So that nothing would be wasted. In the economy of God's Kingdom, nothing is wasted.

There are two aspects of this I'd like for us to think about.

Firstly, God's intention is that nothing is wasted in your life. Romans 8:28 (The Message) says that "we can be ... sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Nothing is wasted. He makes something beautiful out of the scraps and torn pieces of our lives. When we think about ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our personalities, our abilities, our experiences, our relationships, our opportunities, we may value some things and not others. We may wish we could edit our histories and throw out the bits we don't like. We may wish we could trade some aspect of our lives for what we perceive as something better. But God looks at us, and He has a way of seeing every part of us at once, and He says, "Wonderful!" He takes us in our entirety, the bits we like and the bits we don't, and makes something incredibly beautiful that reflects His glory and His love. Nothing is wasted.

Secondly, God desires that nothing is wasted in anyone else's life either.

We've been learning this week how wasteful it is to throw away food. We've been intentional about not wasting produce by gleaning potatoes.

Who is it that we consider leftover? Who do we just pass by or even throw away, because we don't consider them to be useful enough or valuable enough or pretty enough or cool enough or smart enough or rich enough or important enough? Like in the story of the Good Samaritan, who do we pretend not to notice? It might be someone we know, someone we don't know, an ethnic group, an economic group, a friend, an enemy, a neighbor, a nation. Ask God who it is that He wants you to gather. When I was out in the field this week, some of the potatoes were partially hidden. I had to dig around those a little to get them out of the dirt. Some were still attached to stalks. I had to gently help them break free. A few were just sitting on top of the ground in full view, as though they were waiting to be discovered. And every now and then, someone would spot a treasure trove of potatoes clustered together that were easier to harvest.

God has created each person on the planet in His image. Each person, whether we consider them good or not-so-good, whole, bruised, damaged, or leftovers, perfectly bears the image of God. But each person imperfectly reflects the likeness of Jesus Christ, some more imperfectly than others! God doesn't ask us to grade people the way markets grade potatoes. Grading of potatoes and other produce is one of the reasons so much food is wasted. It's not our job to grade people by judging who is worthwhile paying attention to and who isn't, in essence declaring them a waste of time or energy. Jesus' desire is that no one's life is wasted. He asks us to get out into the harvest field and glean. Some people are hidden, and we need to go out and find them, and speak life into them. Some are tied up in hurts, habits, or hangups and may need help breaking free. Some are out in the open, seeking life and truth, and just waiting for someone to show them the way. Every now and then, God moves in an unusual way among a whole group of people at once, like what's happening today in China where thousands of people are giving their lives to Jesus every day.

What harvest field is God inviting you to gather in? He doesn't want even a single life wasted. Each life is precious to Him! Your life is precious to Him. The life of every person on the planet is precious to Him. God's heart is that nothing is wasted in your life or in the life of anyone else.

I want to close by speaking a blessing over you.

May you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence. May you live in the place of rest as you abide in Jesus day by day, hour by hour, breath by breath. May God give you such an overflow of His love that it spills out of you onto everyone you encounter. May the Lord give you direction, wisdom, and energy to gather the leftovers - those who are hidden, those who need help breaking free from hurts, habits, or hangups, those who are seeking life and truth, those whom God highlights to you, whether you easily consider them beautiful or whether they are the last, the lost, or the least. Go with God! The harvest is plentiful! May we each live our lives wholeheartedly to the greater glory of God, in the love of the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Follow, notice, sit with, receive from Jesus

(devotional given at Harvest of Hope high school gleaning mission trip at Camp Occohannock, Eastern Shore, Virginia)

Today as we read our Scriptures, we are going to do something a guy called Ignatius of Loyola drew attention to 500 years ago. We are going to use our imaginations and notice what's going on in the Bible as we read the story. So as I read, close your eyes and picture the scene. Notice who is there, what they're doing, where you are, what catches your attention. Listen to Jesus' words and notice your responses to what He says and does. Try to be still and quiet on the inside so you can experience what the Holy Spirit wants to give you today.

John 6:1 - 11 (NLT) - 'After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.'

Keep your eyes closed and listen as I read the passage again, this time in The Message translation. Pay attention to what you notice.

John 6:1-11 (The Message) - 'After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews. When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed these people?" He said this to stretch Philip's faith. He already knew what he was going to do. Philip answered, "Two hundred silver pieces wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece." One of the disciples––it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter––said, "There's a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that's a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this." Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.'

As I read over this portion of John this week, four things stood out to me. You may have noticed other things. I want to invite you to reflect on what God is showing you today. I gave my life wholeheartedly to Jesus when I was 11 years old, almost 40 years ago. I struggled for many years feeling that I wasn't able to hear the Lord personally. I want to encourage you that if this is something you struggle with, to relax and rest in the assurance that God loves you deeply and personally and does speak to you in a way that is intimate and fitted to the way He wired you. Job 33:14 - 'God does speak, now one way, now another (NIV) ... though we may not recognize it (NLT)'. God loves it when we boldly approach Him and ask ... Like any devoted parent, He loves to say "yes" to us when we ask for something good, like hearing His voice!

So as we consider what we noticed in today's reading, here are some questions for each of us to reflect on, to think about, based on some things God highlighted to me ... You don't need to have quick and ready answers ... I encourage you to sit with these questions today, as you're gleaning in the field, on the drive, wherever you are, enjoying the gift of today.

* people were following Jesus
Where is Jesus inviting me to follow Him?
What would it look like for me to follow Jesus in this season of my life?

* the people had seen what Jesus was doing
What do I see or notice Jesus doing? We all notice different things. You might be the only one in your arena of influence to notice a particular individual or issue or injustice.
What is Jesus asking me to join Him in doing?

* Jesus wanted them to sit down
Where in my life is God inviting me to sit with Him, to be still?
What anxieties, worries, or fears am I holding onto? What would it mean for me to lay those down, give them to Jesus, and live in a place of rest?

* Jesus gave each one as much as they wanted
Do I trust that God wants to and will give me everything that I need?
Do I doubt or despair that God will not have enough for all of His children's needs?
What am I hungry for? What are the desires of my heart?

This is a simple exercise that you can do any time you read your Bible devotionally. When we make room for God, He loves to lavish more of His love, grace, and presence on us. He loves each of us so very much, far more than we could ever imagine.

Lord, help us to follow you, to notice what You are doing and join You in that, to sit with You and be still, to give you all of our anxieties, worries, and fears, to stay in that place of rest. Please give us a deeper hunger for You and grant us the desires of our hearts. We trust You, we love You. May our lives bring you great glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!