ESOCS Devotional 4 June 2024 – God is More Than Sufficient
MEMORY VERSE: “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”Isaiah 65:20
TEXT: MARK 8:11-21
Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart [c]still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”
They said to Him, “Twelve.”
20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”
And they said, “Seven.”
21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
In life, we always have needs. And we desire supplies that will help fill the needs. This was the case of the disciples of Jesus Christ in this passage of the scriptures in verse 14. In the story, when He was admonishing them to beware of the corruptions of the Pharisees and Herod, they thought He was referring to their insufficient provision. However, they were wrong in two ways.
First, He was not referring to their lack of adequate provision but to the corruption of the religious and political movement of their day. So, they missed His message.
Second, even if they had insufficient provision, they had the Son of God present with them. And with Him, they had taken care of more massive insufficiency in more than one occasion in the past. He referred to it while correcting their wrong assumption in Mark 8:17-20: “And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.”
They should have remembered that their insufficiency was taken care of by the presence of God in their midst. This portion is also teaching us that God is ever sufficient for any of our needs be it spiritual, bodily, material, emotional, financial and whatever be the case. He is more than sufficient to supply our needs. Apostle Paul said, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
This echoes and confirms the experience and faith confession of King David in Psalm 23:1 saying, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want!” Therefore, beloved, with God there is sufficiency. All we have to do is not to harden our hearts with fear, anxiety and doubt, thereby, limiting God from taking care of our needs. We should rather recall His wonderful provisions made to those in need in the scriptures, as we read them, and those around us as we heard them; and to us as we have experienced in our times of need, and then understand that He is more than sufficient for all needs. This will strengthen our faith in Him and enable us to trust Him in other times of needs.
- What is your reaction in the times of need – panic or trust in God for help?
- Father thank you for always being there for me in the times of need. Help me to always remember your goodness and capabilities and then trust you.
Further Reading: Exodus 17:1-end; 2 Kings 17:1-14; Romans 6:15-end
ESOCS Devotional 4 June 2024
