You Are Capable of Helping

Mark 6:30-44

Mar 6:30  And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
Mar 6:31  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Mar 6:32  And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Mar 6:33  And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
Mar 6:34  And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Mar 6:35  And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
Mar 6:36  Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
Mar 6:37  He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
Mar 6:38  He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
Mar 6:39  And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
Mar 6:40  And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
Mar 6:41  And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Mar 6:42  And they did all eat, and were filled.
Mar 6:43  And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
Mar 6:44  And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

A servant of God should always be ready and available to help and reach those in need.  You should not hesitate helping others.  We see the way God wants us to respond when we see someone in need.

A great number of people followed them and after a long day of teaching the disciples come to our Lord Jesus and they advise Him in verse 36 (KJV), “Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.” But our Lord Jesus replied and told the disciples in verse 37 (KJV), “Give ye them to eat.” His response is something unexpected for the disciples because of their situation having 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes only.

Looking at the situation carefully, our Lord Jesus Christ uses the situation to test the disciples.  That serves also as a challenge for each and every one of us when it comes in helping others.  Sometimes we arrive at a point wherein we hesitate in helping maybe because we think that we are not capable giving them what they need and we are also in need just like them.  But God says in the scriptures in Psalms 84:11b (KJV), “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

God is able to provide what you need.  He is a giving God so you shouldn't worry about losing something when you help someone, for God is capable of giving it back to you.  God will give you more than you expect for if we will wholeheartedly do what he want.  You should not refuse or ignore when someone is asking for your help.  Look at this example and this thing happened almost to everyone.

When a beggar comes after you asking for some coin or sometimes food to eat, our reply or our automatic response to them is to refuse to give what they were asking for.  Sometimes we told them that we don’t have any coin in our pocket even though we have.  When we are eating in a restaurant or some side street, or what we call carinderia here in the Philippines, when a beggar approach us and ask for some food to eat, without any thought we easily refuse that beggar asking for some food.

I will tell you again, God is capable of giving it back to you.  Always remember, helping others is not always given in the form of material things (money, food, etc.).  If we don’t have anything to give materially, there are still other ways to help them.

We can give them advice to cheer them up.  We can share the Word of God and His promises to them. We can also include them in our prayers.  You can always help someone, there are many ways.  God appreciates everything we do, 1 Corinthians 15:58b (KJV), “your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”  In Matthew 25:40b (KJV) God says, “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  Every good thing that we're doing for other people no matter how big or small, we're doing it for the Lord.

You should help not for the purpose of gaining popularity or to impress others, but for the Glory of our Lord.  Let us continue to help in every way we can.  God appreciates every little thing you do for others.  The Lord’s goodness is seen in you when you wholeheartedly help others.  Always remember, you can do something, you can make a difference, and you are able to help.  Let God be glorified in your life!

Do you hesitate always when someone is asking for your help?  What is your attitude when someone is asking for your help?  How can you be an instrument of God when it comes to helping someone in need?

“In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” –Matthew 25:40b