Never Hungry
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From My Notebook
Did you know the same is true with you? Christ will never send you away fasting-you will never come to the Lord and leave hungry. Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Have you ever heard someone say, "Well, I am just not being blessed by the preaching"? It is not the Lord's fault; the Lord's character is to not send you away fasting. The multitudes left that day better than when they came.
In the book of Matthew, you also find a separate, but similar, event of the Lord feeding a multitude. In both cases, did the disciples have enough to feed the multitude? No. In their hands, they had only a few loaves and a few fish. But In the hands of Almighty God, He made a feast for thousands.
If you give, God has obligated Himself to provide for you. That is, you cannot give what you don't have; givers have to be supplied. The wonderful conclusion of the feeding of the multitude is that they were filled, and they had more leftovers than they had in the beginning. The most empty you can feel is when you think only of yourself and your needs. When you think of others and give yourself, the Lord will fill you.
The Lord's character is to not send you away fasting, and that is also true regarding the needs of those you may work with in ministry. You do not have to be brilliant, have all the answers, and ask just the right questions to help people. It is God's Word that discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God's Spirit using God's Word can cut to the quick and lovingly point out specific needs. The Counselor-God Almighty-is the One Who illumines and brings conviction. Once He does, you can help a person like that.
God's character was to not send the multitude away fasting, and His character and desire are the same today. He is the Bread of Life, and He is sufficient for today.
Matthew 15:32 "Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way."
Here in Matthew 15 is the wonderful story of Jesus feeding the multitude. Thousands of people are following him, and Jesus had compassion on them. We often find this is the case with the Lord when He is around multitudes. Christ then made a declaration in verse 32: "I will not send them away fasting. . . ." This declaration was not isolated to a situation involving food; rather, it is a declaration of God's character. The Lord was expressing will: "I will not send them away fasting."
Did you know the same is true with you? Christ will never send you away fasting-you will never come to the Lord and leave hungry. Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Have you ever heard someone say, "Well, I am just not being blessed by the preaching"? It is not the Lord's fault; the Lord's character is to not send you away fasting. The multitudes left that day better than when they came.In the book of Matthew, you also find a separate, but similar, event of the Lord feeding a multitude. In both cases, did the disciples have enough to feed the multitude? No. In their hands, they had only a few loaves and a few fish. But In the hands of Almighty God, He made a feast for thousands.
If you give, God has obligated Himself to provide for you. That is, you cannot give what you don't have; givers have to be supplied. The wonderful conclusion of the feeding of the multitude is that they were filled, and they had more leftovers than they had in the beginning. The most empty you can feel is when you think only of yourself and your needs. When you think of others and give yourself, the Lord will fill you.
The Lord's character is to not send you away fasting, and that is also true regarding the needs of those you may work with in ministry. You do not have to be brilliant, have all the answers, and ask just the right questions to help people. It is God's Word that discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God's Spirit using God's Word can cut to the quick and lovingly point out specific needs. The Counselor-God Almighty-is the One Who illumines and brings conviction. Once He does, you can help a person like that.
God's character was to not send the multitude away fasting, and His character and desire are the same today. He is the Bread of Life, and He is sufficient for today.
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