AUG 1

John 6:12-13
Memorise Colossians 3:17
“…Jesus lived simply and did not have a wasteful spirit…”

One would think that if Jesus was able to multiply the five loaves and two fishes to feed the five thousand men, He would not be concerned about the leftover food as He could easily have produced more if more had been needed. Instead Christ instructed His disciples to “gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost”. There remained twelve baskets of barley loaves left after the crowd had eaten their fill. This shows us the full extent of Jesus’ miracle as He was able to provide more than enough for the crowd’s need. Gathering up the leftover food shows us that Jesus was not wasteful. He did not want the leftover food to be thrown away. Perhaps He gathered it up so that it could provide for another meal; perhaps it could be given to other needy people they might encounter on their travels. Jesus shows us the perfect example of how to live practically. Even though He could easily have anything in abundance, yet He lived simply and did not have a wasteful spirit. He knew that all things are from God and should be used fully and not wasted.

Do you tend to waste food? If so, let this example from Christ be a rebuke to you. If your own Lord and Saviour does not waste food, why should you? He is the One who has provided for you and you should not throw away what He has given you. Wasting what God has provided for you also shows an ungrateful spirit as well as a lack of stewardship in what you have received from God. You may think that wasting food is a small inconsequential matter but God has commanded us that “whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17). There is no small matter to God as every act we do should be to His glory as His children. If you realise that you often waste food, then be more aware of what you buy and do not buy or take more than you can eat. It is greed to take more than you need. Besides, there are many people in this world who are in desperate need of the food we so carelessly throw away. Let us take more thought for them and follow Jesus’ example in our lives today.

Thought: What are practical ways to prevent yourself from wasting food?
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be thankful for all that You have given me and not waste any of it.