Many years ago there was a program on a South African radio station with the name of “Money or the Box” . Participants could choose between a sum of money or a box with something unknown to them, in it , after answering certain questions correctly . The contents in the box were either almost worthless or something very expensive and of high value . The sum of money were always known to them . The catch was you could either receive something far more expensive and valuable than what the money could buy , or you could actually loose out on a sum of money that you could get ,by choosing a box with something almost worthless in it .

I thought of this program when I read from John 6 this morning .

Similar to the radio competition, there was a choice between money or resources in hand . Of course the reward was completely different than the radio competition in the sense that any reward from God is immeasurably valuable to the taker . God will always out-give , even your highest expectations in faith .

Let's go to John 6 .

John 6:1-5 BBE

(1) After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee--that is, the sea of Tiberias.

(2) And a great number of people went after him because they saw the signs which he did on those who were ill.

(3) Then Jesus went up the mountain and was seated there with his disciples.

(4) Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

(5) Lifting up his eyes, Jesus saw a great number of people coming to where he was, and he said to Philip, Where may we get bread for all these people?

Principle 1

Your great reward is always given in a situation where you decide to follow Christ ,come what may

Principle 2

To follow Him will always be more difficult than the normal things and choices in life .

Principle 3

Just when you think you have made it ,He will even ask more of you , to stretch your commitment to Him even further .

When the people caught up with Jesus at the other end of the sea of Galilee , He went up the mountain as well . He made it even more difficult for the people to follow Him .

Principle 4

It is impossible for God not to see your commitment . It is impossible for Him not to reward you .

Every person received their reward that followed Him right to the end . Jesus looked with compassion at all the people . His great desire was for everyone to receive their reward as well . We only see the bread and fish they received ,but don't forget He is also the bread of life ,don't forget that a greater reward comes with the physical reward , namely a spiritual reward ,where you get to know and trust God better . To know the King of the Universe gives us a reward that nothing on earth can be compared to . Verse 5 : “Where may we get bread for all these people?” . Do you see His compassion for you in these words ? .

Verse 1 : Jesus went to the OTHER SIDE of the sea of Galilee . It is quite a distance ,even by boat to travel after Jesus . It is even more difficult to go around by foot . It was also time consuming . It meant ,no wages and work for about a week , in the natural sense for many people . We can assume that there was also many sick people among them . Verse 2 says they followed Him because they saw how He could heal the sick . Well ,the Word says they stuck to Him ,they followed Him ,even when He made it really difficult for them to do so . I mean Jesus could easily just stayed where they were and do the miracles right there , quick and easy for them to experience . Why did He not do it that way ? .

Principle 5

The circumstances and attitude of your heart leading up to the moment when you receive a great reward from God is infinitely more important than the reward itself .

Principle 6

God will always set up a test ,not for Him to know your heart , He knows it already ,but for you to know that you are able to follow Him in faith and always receive , not only a physical reward ,but very valuable spiritual growth as well .

That is why Jesus made it difficult for the crowd to follow Him ,and keep following Him . I presume many people turned around and left Him the moment it start to cost them something in the form of effort , time and even money .

Something very interesting happened then .

One disciple chose the money option

Another disciple chose the box option ,the option of available resources .

Which is the best option ?

Do you remember widow in the days of Elijah ?

Do you remember the lame beggar at the temple ?

By examining them , we can discover the right answer

In the widows case the money option was not even given . She saved her and her family's life's by going the way of available resources . She gave away her last resources to live from to Elijah .

If you read the whole story you will discover that she gained more than she could ever imagine . The way of the resources took her out of a downward spiral of poverty and death . It changed her whole life . It changed the life's of her family as well

The beggar at the temple expected money , but Peter and John gave him the box . They gave him a spiritual experience , they gave him their available resource ,namely their faith . He received much ,much more than just a mere handout in the form of money . He received the power to believe . It raised him up from poverty and a inability to walk . It gave him the opportunity to know God better . To come into close contact with the power of God . God is still the same today . You can receive it as well .

1 Kings 17:10-15 BBE

(10) So he got up and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the door of the town, he saw a widow woman getting sticks together; and crying out to her he said, Will you give me a little water in a vessel for my drink?

(11) And when she was going to get it, he said to her, And get me with it a small bit of bread.

(12) Then she said, By the life of the Lord your God, I have nothing but a little meal in my store, and a drop of oil in the bottle; and now I am getting two sticks together so that I may go in and make it ready for me and my son, so that we may have a meal before our death.

(13) And Elijah said to her, Have no fear; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and come and give it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.

(14) For this is the word of the Lord, the God of Israel: The store of meal will not come to an end, and the bottle will never be without oil, till the day when the Lord sends rain on the earth.

(15) So she went and did as Elijah said; and she and he and her family had food for a long time.

Acts 3:4-8 BBE

(4) And Peter, looking at him, with John, said, Keep your eyes on us.

(5) And he gave attention to them, hoping to get something from them.

(6) But Peter said, I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up on your feet.

(7) And he took him by his right hand, lifting him up; and straight away his feet and the bones of his legs became strong,

(8) And, jumping up, he got on to his feet and went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and giving praise to God.

Ok so now we have the answer . Take the option of available resources rather than to ask for money ,when you are in need of something . When you are prepared to follow God ,to trust God , look out for a multiplication of your available resources ,rather than receiving money to help you for a short time only .

Let me explain it .

John 6:5-13 BBE

(5) Lifting up his eyes, Jesus saw a great number of people coming to where he was, and he said to Philip, Where may we get bread for all these people?

(6) This he said, testing him: for he had no doubt what he himself would do.

(7) Philip made answer, Bread to the value of two hundred pence would not be enough even to give everyone a little.

(8) One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Jesus,

(9) There is a boy here with five barley cakes and two fishes: but what is that among such a number?

(10) Jesus said, Let the people be seated. Now there was much grass in that place. And those seated on the grass were about five thousand.

(11) Then Jesus took the cakes and having given praise to God, he gave them to the people who were seated, and the fishes in the same way, as much as they had need of.

(12) And when they had had enough, Jesus said to his disciples, Take up the broken bits which are over, so that nothing may be wasted.

(13) So they took them up: twelve baskets full of broken bits of the five cakes which were over after the people had had enough.

Philip translated their needs into a monetary need immediately . He figured out that MONEY would relieve or solve their problem . He wasn't wrong . Jesus could have just as well multiplied the money ,but there was a BETTER option . The money option would have forced them to ask for help and to spend a lot of time to go and buy bread . They would have needed people to go with and help them to carry all the bread . Imagine the sudden load they would have put on the baker and his suppliers to provide the ingredients and bake the bread . The people that committed themselves to Jesus would have received bread only if the MONEY route were chosen by Jesus . They would not have seen the miracle unfolding before their eyes . They would have considered it merely as bread from the bakery . It would have left them stranded in their normal way of buying bread from the bakery .

Jesus chose the available resources option . It did not only provided bread for them ,but also a miracle and accompanying power to even believe stronger in the Son of God . It is always the best option . Look what you have available and ask God to multiply it for you . In every case in the Bible their was always something available that could be multiplied in their possession . They just had to open their eyes and recognize that the solution is in their hands . It always looked insufficient to their eyes ,but their faith held onto God and they received far above what they could imagine .

Principle 7

The provision ,the solution is always in your possession at the time when your need is critical .

Principle 8

God's provision ,after your commitment to follow Him ,even through difficult circumstances ,will always be enough . : 12 “ they had enough” .

Principle 9

When you receive God's provision for you ,you will always have more than enough to help other people from your abundance as well .

Principle 10

Be thank full and respect what God gave you . Don't let anything be wasted . Pick up even the small and insignificant pieces and leftovers , it will bring great relieve and joy to other people in need .

John 6:14 BBE

(14) And when the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, Truly, this is the prophet who is to come into the world.

It is always interesting for me to look at the words people utter immediately after they experienced the Power ,Glory or Presence of God in their midst .

In this case it is a sure give away that they understood the importance of the Christ to FUNCTION in THIS WORLD . Sadly many Christians have a fly away , go away , leave the world ,leave the earth to be destructed believe system . It is not what the Word teach us . It is very important for us to function IN THIS WORLD . God will provide for us ,even by miracles to enable us to be healthy and prosperous ,to be sufficiently provided for in THIS WORLD . We are a city on a hill for the sake of this world to understand that we have a heavenly father that can easily provide for us in here . The whole earth will be filled with His Gory in this way . Don't condemn , no, show the power of God's provision in you, to the world . The world think in terms of “if I could just get the money “ or “I don't have the money to do “ this or that . God's children says “ I will look at what I have available in my hand , my God is able to multiply it to such an extend that I will have more than enough for my own needs as well as the needs of many people around me .

Praise God ,He is a good and caring God

Be Blessed

Bertus