Are you a Thomas or an Andrew?
Reading John 6:1-8 (NIV)
"Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, "It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
Jesus pointed out a need. Philip was a thinker, he did the math. "Let's see, 5,000 men plus women and children at so much per person = impossible task, can't do it unless we have over six months to prepare." I think Philip would have gotten to work right on that project had there been enough time and resources.
Andrew turned the question back to Jesus, "This is what we have, you can have it all, but how far will it go?"
As we know, Jesus used what Andrew presented to feed everyone, even leaving more to spare.
When presented with an impossible task, what is your response?
Do you do the math, figure how you can do it in your own strength, and then get to work? Put it off until you have the means to meet the need?
Or are you willing to give what you have to Jesus to see what he does with it?
