Message summary: R esourcefulness is one more way we can live in obedience to God. Let us be careful to look for opportunities to be more resourceful and prove to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Remember, God can use the leftover fragments!

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“When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten” (John 6:12,13).

Last night we attended a banquet at the Shady Maple for "Blessings Of Hope" a wholesale food distribution ministry based here in Lancaster County. It was begun by Aaron Fisher, who has an Amish background. He had a disabled father and recalls being needy as a child and people bringing his family boxes of food to survive. When he grew up he knew in his heart he wanted to do something to help others in need. In 2006 he started Blessings of Hope. We have volunteered in various ways practically since the beginning.

The basic premise of Blessings Of Hope is collecting excess food from huge corporations and then distributing to food banks and other ministries who do the actual point of contact distribution. They have connections with over 200 food producers and distributors regionally around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and in other states. It has grown to the point they now receive 12 tractor trailer loads of food daily.

They presently serve food banks up and down the east coast and out to the Midwest. Thus far in 2025 they have distributed over 20 million pounds of food.

This food is excess to the producer for a variety of reasons such as production over-runs and nearing best by dates. Aaron pointed out that 40% of the food produced in America is wasted somewhere along the process and much ends up in landfills and otherwise, and his ministry wants to do something about it. They are following the example of the Lord, who said in the daily text "Let nothing be wasted".

This type of resourcefulness is one of the virtues we need to see increase in our day, a stark contrast to the disposable and wasteful habits our society has developed in recent decades. There are many homes where the leftover food on serving platters is scraped into the garbage without a second thought.

Today's text comes from a Bible portion many of us remember from childhood: our Lord’s miracle of feeding the multitude. Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand men plus their wives and children with only five loaves of barley bread and two small fish generously donated by a young lad (presumably the proper amount of food a caring mother thought adequate for her son’s lunch).

After a prayer of thanks by Jesus and distribution of the meal the people "all had enough to eat”. The scene had changed quickly from the murmuring crowd asking, "What are we going to eat?" dilemma into a veritable "All you can eat" feast. No skimpy portions here! That’s just like our Lord. He truly satisfies as seen in Psalm 107:9: "For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

Let's look at a less highlighted detail in our daily text. Jesus had miraculously fed 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch consisting of just five small barley loaves and two small fish. After the meal Jesus instructed His disciples to go through the crowd and collect the leftovers. This detail is amazing to me. Why be concerned for leftovers, when He could repeat the same miracle of multiplication the next day and every day?

Well, the Scripture doesn’t specifically tell us. Perhaps to indicate that more was actually left over after the full meal than they started with (even after feeding over 5,000  the pieces of the original five barley loaves filled twelve baskets). Interesting detail: There is no mention of leftover fish collected, perhaps because the fish would spoil rapidly whereas bread might last for several days.

That’s pretty neat, but I don’t think that’s the reason. We find that in Jesus’ instruction when He said, “Let nothing be wasted". I just have a feeling that some of the folks had a fine meal on some day-old bread the following day! It surely brought about meaningful conversation as they recalled the miraculous multiplication that provided the leftovers they were partaking of or perhaps the disciples were later instructed to take the leftover bread to the poor.

Blessings of Hope ministry provides a great example of resourcefulness on a large scale so that nothing is wasted. I believe our resourcefulness is just one more way we can live in obedience to God. Can you think of at least one way that you could be more resourceful?

Let us be careful to look for opportunities to be more resourceful and prove to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Remember, God can use the leftover fragments!

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber