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39 - The Desire of Ages - Ellen Gould · Sacred Texts Archive

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Give ye them to eat. Christ had retired to a secluded place with his
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disciples, but this rare season of peaceful quietude was soon broken. The disciples
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thought they had retired where they would not be disturbed, But as soon as
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the multitude missed the divine teacher, they inquired where is he? Some among
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them had noticed the direction of which Christ and his disciples had gone. Many
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went by land to meet them, while others followed in their boats across the
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water. The passover was at hand, and from far and near bands of
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pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem gathered to see Jesus. Additions were made to
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their number, until they were assembled five thousand men, besides women and children.
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Before Christ reached the shore, a multitude were waiting for him, But
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he landed unobserved by them, and spent a little time apart with the disciples.
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From the hillside, he looked upon the moving multitude, and his heart
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was stirred with sympathy. Interrupted as he was and robbed of his rest,
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he was not impatient. He saw greater necessity demanding his attempt. As he
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watched the people coming and still coming, he was moved with compassion toward them
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because they were as sheep, not having a shepherd. Leaving his retreat,
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he found a convenient place where he could minister to them. They received no
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help from the priests and rulers, but the healing waters of life flowed from
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Christ as he taught the multitude the way of salvation. The people listened to
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the words of mercy flowing so freely from the lips of the Son of God.
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They heard the gracious words, so simple and so plain, that they
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were as the balm of Gilead to their souls. The healing of his divine
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hand brought gladness and life to the dying, and ease and health to those
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suffering with disease. The day seemed to them like heaven upon earth, and
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they were utterly unconscious of how long it had been since they had eaten anything.
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At length, the day was far spent, the sun was sinking in
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the west, and yet the people lingered. Jesus had labored all day without
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food or rest. He was pale from weariness and hunger, and the disciples
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besought him to cease from his toil, but he could not withdraw himself from
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the multitude that pressed upon him. The disciples finally came to him, urging
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that for their own sake, the people should be sent away. Many had
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come from Afar and had eaten nothing since morning. In the surrounding towns and
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villages, they might be able to buy food, but Jesus said, give
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ye them to eat, And then, turning to Philip, questioned, whence
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shall we buy bread that these may eat? This, he said to test
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the faith of the disciple. Philip looked over the sea of heads and thought
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how impossible it would be to provide food to satisfy the wants of such a
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crowd. He answered that two hundred pennyworth of bread would not be nearly enough
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to divide among them, so that each might have a little. Jesus inquired
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how much food could be found among the company. There is a lad here,
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said Andrew, which have five barley loaves and two small fishes. But
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what are they among so many? Jesus directed that these be brought to him.
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Then he bade the disciples seek the people on the grass in parties of
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fifty or a hundred, to preserve order, and that all might witness what
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he was about to do. When this was accomplished, Jesus took the food,
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and looking up to Heaven, he blest and brake, and gave the
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loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did
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all eat and were filled. And they took up twelve basketsful of the fragments
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and of the fishes. He who taught the people the way to secure peace
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and happiness, was just as thoughtful of their temporal necessities as of their spiritual
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need. The people were weary and faint. There were mothers with babes in
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their arms, and little children clinging to their skirts. Many had been standing
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for hours. They had been so intensely interested in Christ's words that they had
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not once thought of sitting down. And the crowd was so great that there
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was danger of their trampling on one another. Jesus would give them a chance
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to rest, and he bade them sit down. There was much grass in
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the place, and all could rest in comfort. Christ never worked a miracle
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except to supply a genuine necessity, And every miracle was of a character to
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lead the people to the Tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing
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of the nations. The simple food passed round by the hands of the disciples
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contained a whole treasure of lessons. It was humble fare that had been provided.
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The fishes and barleylows were the daily food of the fisherfolk are about the
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sea of Galilee. Christ could have spread before the people a rich repast,
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but food prepared merely for the gratification of appetite would have conveyed no lesson for
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their good. Christ taught them in this lesson that the natural provisions of God
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for man had been perverted. And never did people enjoy the luxurious feast prepared
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for the gratification of perverted taste. As this, people enjoyed the rest and
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the simple food which Christ provided, so far from human habitations. If men
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to day were simple in their habits, living in harmony with nature's laws,
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as did Adam an Eve in the beginning, there would be an abundant supply
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for the needs of the human family. There would be fewer imaginary wants,
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and more opportunities to work in God's ways. But selfishness and the indulgence of
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unnatural taste have brought sin and misery into the world. From excess on the
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one hand and from want on the other. Jesus did not seek to attract
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the people to him by gratifying the desire for luxury, to that great throng,
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weary and hungry after the long exciting day, the simple fare was an
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assurance not only of his power, but if his tender care for them in
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the common needs of life. The Savior has not promised his followers the luxuries
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of the world. Their fare may be plain and even scanty, their lot
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may be shut in by poverty, but his word is pledged that their need
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shall be supplied. And he has promised that which is far better than worldly
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good, the abiding comfort of his own presence. In feeding the five thousand,
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Jesus lifts the veil from the world of nature and reveals the power that
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is constantly exercised for our good in the production of Earth's harvests. God is
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working a miracle every day through natural ages, and sees the same work is
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accomplished that was wrought in the feeding of the multitude. Men prepare the soil
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and sow the seed, but it is the life from God that causes the
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seed to germinate. It is God's rain and air and sunshine that cause it
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to put forth first the blade, then the ear, after that the full
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corn. In the ear mark four twenty eight. It is God who is
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every day feeding millions from the earth's harvest fields. Men are called upon to
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co operate with God in the care of the grain and the preparation of the
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loaf, and because of this they lose sight of the divine agency. They
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do not give God the glory due unto his holy name. The working of
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his power is ascribed to natural causes or to human instrumentality. Man is glorified
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in place of God, and his gracious gifts are perverted to selfish uses and
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made a curse instead of a blessing. God is seeking to change all this.
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He desires that our dull senses shall be quickened to discern his merciful kindness
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and to glorify him for the working of his power. He desires us to
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recognize Him and his gifts, that they may be as He intended, a
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blessing to us. It was to accomplish his purpose that the miracles of Christ
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were performed. After the multitude had been fed, there was an abundance of
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food left. But He who had all the resources of infinite powered his command,
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said, gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
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These words meant more than putting the bread into the baskets. The lesson was
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twofold. Nothing is to be wasted. We are to let slip no temporal
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advantage. We should neglect nothing that will tend to benefit a human being.
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Let everything be gathered up that will relieve the necessity of earth's hungry ones.
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And there should be the same carefulness and spiritual things. When the baskets of
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fragments were collected, the people thought of their friends at home. They wanted
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them to share in the bread that Christ had blessed. The contents of the
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baskets were distributed among the eager throng, and were carried away into all the
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region round about. So those who were at the feast were to give to
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others the bread that comes down from heaven to satisfy the hunger of the soul.
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They were to repeat what they had learned of the wonderful things of God.
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Nothing was to be lost, Not one word that concerned their eternal salvation
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was to fall useless to the ground. The miracle of the Loews teaches a
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lesson of dependence upon God. When Christ fed the five thousand, the food
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was not nigh at hand. Apparently he had no means at his command.
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Here he was with five thousand men, besides women and children, in the
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wilderness. He had not invited the large multitude to follow him. They came
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without invitation or command. But he knew that after they had listened so long
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to his instruction, they would feel hungry and faint, for he was one
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with them in their need of food. They were far from home, and
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the night was close at hand. Many of them were without means to purchase
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food. He who for their sake had fasted forty days in the wilderness,
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would not suffer them to return fasting to their homes. The providence of God
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had placed Jesus where he was, and he depended upon his heavenly Father for
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the means to relieve the necessity. And when we are brought into straight places,
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we are depend upon God. We are to exercise wisdom and judgment in
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every action of life, that we may not, by reckless movements, place
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ourselves in trial. We are not to plunge into difficulties, neglecting the means
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God is provided, and misusing the faculties He has given us. Christ's workers
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are to obey his instructions implicitly. The work is God's, and if we
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would bless others, his plans must be followed. Self cannot be made a
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center. Self can receive no honor. If we plan according to our own
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ideas, the Lord will leave us to our own mistakes. But when after
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following his directions we are brought into straight places, he will deliver us.
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We are not to give up and discouragement, but in every emergency we are
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to seek help from Him who has infinite resources at his command. Often we
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shall be surrounded with trying circumstances, and then in the fullest confidence we must
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depend upon God. He will keep every soul that is brought into perplexity through
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trying to keep the way of the Lord. Christ has bidden us through the
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prophet, deal thy bread to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul.
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When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him and bring the poor that
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are cast out into thy house Isaiah fifty eight seven ten. He has bidden
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us go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature Mark
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sixteen fifteen. But how often our hearts sink and faith fails us? As
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we see how great is the need, and how small the means in our
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hands. Like Andrew, looking upon the five barley loaves and the two little
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fishes, we exclaim, what are they among so many? Often we hesitate,
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unwilling to give all that we have, fearing to spend and to be
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spent for others. But Jesus has bidden us give ye them to eat.
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His command is a promise, and behind it is the same power that fed
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the multitude beside the sea. In Christ's act of supplying the temporal necessities of
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a hungry multitude, is wrapped up a deep spiritual lesson for all his workers.
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Christ received from the Father. He imparted to the disciples. They imparted
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to the multitude, and the people to one another. So all who are
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united to Christ will receive from him the bread of life, the heavenly food,
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and impart it to others. In full reliance upon God. Jesus took
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the small store of lows, and although there was but a small portion for
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his own family of disciples, he did not invite them to eat, but
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begin to distribute to them, bidding them serve the people. The food multiplied
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in his hands and the hands of the disciples, reaching out to Christ himself.
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The bread of life were never empty. The little store was sufficient for
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all. After the wants of the people had been supplied, the fragments were
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gathered up, and Christ and his disciples ate together the precious heaven supplied food.
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The disciples were the channel of communication between Christ and the people. This
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should be a great encouragement to his disciples. To day. Christ is the
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great center, the source of all strength. His disciples are to receive their
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supply from him. The most intelligent, the most spiritually minded, can bestow
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only as they receive of themselves. They can supply nothing for the needs of
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the soul. We can impart only that which we receive from Christ, and
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we can receive only as we impart to others. As we continue imparting,
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we continue to receive, and the more we impart, the more we shall
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receive. Thus we may be constantly believing, trusting, receiving, and imparting.
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The work of building up the Kingdom of Christ will go forward, though
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to all appearances it moves slowly, and impossibilities seem to testify against advance.
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The work is of God, and He will furnish means and will send helpers.
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True earnest disciples, whose hands also will be filled with food for the
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starving multitude. God is not unmindful of those who labor in love to give
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the word of life to perishing souls, who in their turn reach forth their
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hands for food for other hungry souls. In our work for God, there
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is danger of relying too largely upon what man, with his talents and ability
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can do. Thus we lose sight of the one master worker. Too often
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the worker for Christ fails to realize his personal responsibility. He is in danger
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of shifting his burden upon organizations instead of relying upon Him, who is the
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source of all strength. It is a great mistake to trust in human wisdom
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or numbers in the work of God. Successful work for Christ depends not so
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much on numbers or talent as upon pureeness of purpose, the true simplicity of
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earnest dependent faith. Personal responsibilities must be born, personal duties must be taken
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up up, personal efforts must be made for those who do not know Christ.
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In the place of shifting your responsibility upon some one whom you think more
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richly endowed than you are, work according to your ability. When the question
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comes home to your heart, whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?
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Let not your answer be the response of unbelief. When the disciples heard
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the Saviour's direction, give ye them to eat, all the difficulties arose in
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their minds. They questioned, shall we go away into the villages to buy
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food? So now, when the people are destitute of the bread of life,
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the Lord's children question, shall we send for some one from afar to
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come and feed them? But what said Christ? Make the men sit down,
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and he fed them there. So, when you are surrounded by souls
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in need, know that Christ is there. Commune with him. Bring your
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barley loaves to Jesus. The means in our possession may not seem to be
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sufficient for the work. But if we will move forward in faith, believing
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in the all sufficient power of God, abundant resources will open before us.
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If the work be of God, he himself will provide the means for its
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accomplishment. He will reward honest, simple reliance upon him. The little that
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is wisely and economically used in the service of the Lord of Heaven will increase
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in the very act of imparting in the hand of Christ. The small supply
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of food remained undiminished until the famished multitude were satisfied. If we go to
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the source of all strength, with our hands of faith outstretched to receive,
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we shall be sustained in our work even under the most forbidding circumstances, and
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shall be enabled to give to others the bread of life. The Lord says,
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give, and it shall be given unto you. He that soeth sparingly
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shall reap also sparingly. And he that soeth with blessings shall reposso with blessings.
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And God is able to make all grace abound unto you, that ye,
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having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work.
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As it is written, he hath scattered abroad, He hath given to the
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poor. His righteousness abideth forever. And he that supplieth seed to the sower
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and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and
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increase the fruits of your righteousness, Ye being enriched in everything unto all liberality
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which worketh through us, thanksgiving to God. Luke six thirty eight, Second
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Corinthians nine six to eleven r V. Margin in the chapter thirty nine