DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 17 January 2025: Diet in the Desert
Text: Matthew 14:13-21 (KJV)
13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart*: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart*; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but* five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
KEY VERSE: Matthew 14:19
“And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.”
Deserts may have some tourist attractions, especially for those who are curious and adventurous, but they certainly are no places of comfort. In the desert, the temperatures are usually so high in the daytime and cold at night, making survival quite difficult. There is also the challenge of lack of food and water in the desert.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ could have fed a multitude of people in the desert without bringing any truckload of food there. Christ did not allow the news of the demise of John the Baptist to come between Him and His mission. He moved over to the desert where characteristically, multitudes thronged Him because of His unusual teaching, miracles, and authority over all things. The multitude, rather than scare the Master, elicited sympathy and empathy from Him. He healed the sicknesses and graciously fed the great multitudes in the desert with just five loaves and two fishes. It is not incredible for the Son of God to feed multitudes in the desert; after all, God fed millions of Israelites with manna from heaven for forty years.
Jesus came to destroy both sin and its consequences. As He did it then, He still does today. If only you would believe, you would see the glory of God. Christ worked in agreement with other members of the Godhead. He did all as directed by the Father with the power of the Holy Spirit. With just five loaves and two fishes, He fed five thousand men, not including women and children, in the desert. He is the same and has not changed. He can meet national, household or individual needs if only people will believe. The disciples’ lack of faith did not hinder the purpose of God for the people. Unbelief of others will not impede your blessings from God.
Today, you can position yourself to benefit from the goodness of Jesus Christ who sought only the glory of God and the good of people. If you sincerely seek Him and place your faith in Him, He will graciously meet your needs. His anointing breaks every yoke. As believers and ministers of the gospel, we must follow Christ’s steps and never resort to the common exploitative ministerial patterns so that we can be a blessing to our generation.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Our faith gets its bearing when we truly accept that “With God, all things are possible.”
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Exodus 1-4
Daily Manna 17 January 2025
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