One of the things I find interesting about Jesus' relationship with His disciples is that they are often caught off guard, though I'm pretty sure I wouldn’t like it myself. They were constantly misjudging people and situations or being called upon to do things that they didn't know how to do. That makes me wonder—if I'm a disciple of Jesus, how often will He surprise and catch me, and you, off guard? If not, we may not be following Jesus as closely as we think! Today, let's take a moment to visit a situation in which the disciples found themselves after a three-day conference with Jesus:

Not long afterward another large crowd came together. When the people had nothing left to eat, Jesus called the disciples to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat.” …His disciples asked him, “Where in this desert can anyone find enough food to feed all these people?” “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven loaves,” they answered. He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the crowd; and the disciples did so.  They also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for these and told the disciples to distribute them too.  Everybody ate and had enough—there were about four thousand people. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. (Mark 8:1-9 NIV)

This passage began with Mark telling us that Jesus felt sorry for the crowd because they had been there for three days and were running out of food. They couldn't go home to get something to eat and they couldn't go to a store—they were in the desert. After the disciples explained the problem to Jesus, He asked them a simple question: “How much bread do you have?” The disciples likely thought that was a ridiculous question, as if Jesus planned to feed a crowd of four thousand people with the remainder of their own food. But that's exactly what He did. The disciples also found a few fish. Jesus gave thanks and they distributed the fish, as well. Mark ends his account by saying, “Everybody ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over.” There wasn't almost enough; there was more than enough. Jesus sent everyone home on a full stomach. Though there are many lessons in Mark’s account, I want to focus on one drawn from Jesus' question, “How much bread do you have?” The lesson: Jesus can take whatever you have and multiply it to serve and love other people. Today, consider what you might already have that God could use to help someone else. Is it time? Money? A particular skill or ability? God can take whatever you have and demonstrate His love for the people around you...and that is very Good News!