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AUTHOR: Aniel Barbe
Teach Them to Fish
Mark 6:37
But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
We worship with our offerings and donations because Jesus invites us to care for others as He does. One day, the crowd noticed the movement of Jesus and His disciples and came to meet them. Full of compassion, Jesus spent the entire day teaching, blessing, and healing. It was a spiritual feast. As the sun was lowering in the sky, the disciples asked Jesus to send the crowd away to seek food (Mk. 6:36). The crowd would soon get hungry, and there was no bakery in the desert. But instead of attending to their quite sensible request, Jesus invited them to “give them something to eat” (Mk. 6:37). This unexpected answer reveals Jesus’s concern for both the spiritual and the temporal needs of people. This is also our mission: “When we see human beings in distress, whether through affliction or through sin, we shall never say, this does not concern me.” —E. G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 504.
The story of Emilienne from Madagascar reminds us that we can put a smile back on people’s faces. Before 2015, Emilienne was always frowning. She was a single mother whose children were always hungry, and she could not afford to send them to school. Then, she joined the ADRA food security project in a town called Bikily. There she received training, access to farm tools, and drought-resistant seeds. As a result, she started her farm: planting sorghum, sweet potatoes, cassava, and pumpkins. Now, she has enough to feed and clothe her family, pay their school fees, and invest in the future. Above all, she now has a huge smile on her face.
Would you like to do mission work in the footsteps of Jesus and draw smiles on people’s faces? Giving is one of the means established by God to alleviate sufferings, express His love, and bring back hope. This week, we can practice Christ’s ministry method by worshiping with our tithe and regular and systematic offerings.
Many local Adventist churches around the world have an active Dorcas program that brings smiles on people’s faces. Let us give generously to support the poor-fund of our local church.
Prayer: Lord, we thank You for the love and compassion that You have for us. Please help us today to be channels of Your blessings to others.