Empty Baskets

     In chapter 14 of Matthew you will find a familiar story. After a long day of watching Jesus heal the sick the disciples came to Jesus and said, "We are in the middle of nowhere and it's getting late. Tell the people to go back into town so they can find some food." Jesus said, 'They don't need to go anywhere, you feed them." When the disciples told Him that they only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, He said, "Bring them to me." He then told the people to have a seat while He blessed the food and handed them back to the disciples.

     We all know the story and we know how it ends, but I want to stop right here for a minute and consider the disciple's point of view. They are now standing in front of a hungry crowd expecting to be fed and they know something the crowd doesn't' there are only 5 loaves and 2 fish. That means that 5 of the disciples were not holding anything, they were standing there with empty baskets and were expected to feed thousands from them. So often I have felt like that, standing in front of a crowd knowing full well that my basket was empty. They were doing what Jesus had told them to do, but they had to be having some second thoughts. There is an important point here, when you are in the middle of God's will, the fact that your basket is empty is irrelevant, God will handle that part. You just need to do what He has called you to do. God will fill your basket, not just to sufficiency but to abundance.

     When you find yourself exactly where God has placed you but with an empty basket. Take heart, just like the disciples, you will find yourself with leftovers if you just believe in the one that has called you to that place. Your empty basket will be filled and filled to abundance.

 

 Obstacles or Opportunities?

     The Israelites were feeling pretty good for once. They were finally free of the Egyptians and they were headed back to their long lost home. After several days of travel away from their former captors, they were almost relaxing. They were camped right where God had told them to, "By the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon." (Exodus 14:2) This respite didn't last long though. They awoke one morning to see Pharoah's army approaching. Reality started to set in, they were trapped between The Egyptian army and a sea. They started to complain to Moses. They asked if he brought them out to the desert because there weren't enough graves in Egypt to hold them. Things looked bleak indeed. Things looked bleak but they had forgotten one important point, they were exactly where God told them to be. What they saw as an obstacle, the sea, was in reality an opportunity for them to escape. When Moses started to get a little antsy and cried out to God. God responded by asking him why he was bothering him, tell the people to get up and start heading forward. So up they got and started straight for the obstacle in front of them not really sure what was going to happen. As they neared the water's edge Moses raised his hands and the waters parted and allowed the people of God to pass through on dry land. What's more, once they had all crossed, the seas closed back in swallowing up the pursuing army. What appeared to be an obstacle was really God's deliverance. How often do we see the things in front of us as obstacles when they are really opportunities for deliverance? All we need do is follow God's leading and continue forward and watch those obstacles turn into opportunities. 

Really? That's the Best You Could Do?

     Have you ever been in a barn? I mean a real barn, not the "farmhouse" style venues that look barn-ish, I mean a working barn. If you have a lot of adjectives come to mind, but I would bet sanitary is not on the list. I mean I can guarantee there is manure on the floor in whatever direction you look and let's not even talk about the smell. There is also noise, lots of noise. Farm animals do three things well and in abundance, they poop, they produce bad smells, and they make noise. That's the place God picked for His son to enter this world?

     We all know the story, but how often to we really think about it? The story gets cleaned up with the retelling. We use words like manger, hay, and angels. We don't use words like noisy, smelly, and manure. I think we may be doing the story a disservice by glossing over those things. The smells and noises and filth are actually a very important aspect of the Nativity story. Think about it, God could have chosen anywhere for Jesus' birth to occur. Bethlehem in a feeding trough in a barn wasn't an accident, it was on purpose. What purpose? You ask.

     Jesus came to shake things up. He was to bring salvation to everyone. What better way to make that point than to be born in the lowliest of places? The best way to reach every man is to become everyman. Yes, God could have chosen a palace surrounded by the best doctors. Yes Jesus could have grown up in luxury and lived the life of the King He is. Yes, that could have happened but it would have made the message that He came for all a lot harder to sell. Starting life in a common setting as a common person was just the first of a life of lesson Jesus would teach. Even as an infant, He didn't hesitate to get down in the muck mire this world has to offer. He went where the people were, He didn't expect them to come to Him. By being born in the dirty, noisy, smelly barn He established that He came for all, not just the clean, quiet, and good smelling. So yes, it was the best He could do. It was exactly where it should have happened.