Transcript:
Hello, my name is Patricia Peña. In my walk, I have encountered many moments in which I have questioned if what I can offer is enough. We see what others have to offer, and might think that what we have is not enough, or on the other hand, We start by asking, where do I begin? Ordinary things and people in the hands of God can do extraordinary things in God's name.
There's a story in scripture of an unnamed boy that witnesses a marvelous miracle by just putting all he had to offer in God's hands. Two small fish and five barley loaves of bread.
John chapter six says, "Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up to the mountainside and sat with his disciples, the Jewish Passover Festival was near when Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him. He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? He asked us only to test him for, he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him. It would take more than a half years wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite. Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. Here's a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish. But how far will they go among so many? Jesus said, have the people sit down.
There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About 5,000 men were there. Jesus then took the loaves and gave thanks and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, gather the pieces that were left over.
Let nothing be wasted. So they gathered them and filled 12 baskets. The pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." He gave it to the boy gave what he had faithfully and experienced abundance. He saw an ordinary, small thing become an extraordinary thing in God's hands. This is not the first time we see in scripture God using ordinary people like you and I or using simple things in God's hands to do extraordinary things for God's glory.
We see Moses with a staff hit a rock and water came out so God's people didn't die. In the desert, we see Samson defeat 3000 with a simple jaw bone. A sling, slingshot, and a few rocks bring down a giant that had tormented God's people. And the list goes on. Sidney Smith says It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little, do what you can.
Ordinary things in people, in the hands of God do extraordinary things for God's glory. So when you think to yourself, where do I begin? I ask you the same question that God asked Moses, what is that in your hand? Whether it is a talent, a skill, a desire to serve, put it in God's hands and see what God will do when ordinary people like you and I put the things that we may consider small or insignificant in God's hands and we will see extraordinary things happen.
What do you have in your hands?
