A Daily Devotion for Tuesday, April 28
- ontrakk
- 12 hours ago
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John 6:1-14
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
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.
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
2Corinthians 9:7
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
It is easy to be generous if we already have plenty to begin with. The real test of our generosity and our trust in God is when we give from an already “limited” supply. This is what the boy in the devotion story did, and what the boy (John 6) with the loaves and fish did. They only had enough for themselves, but they quickly gave it up for someone(s) who needed it. I like to think I would do the same, but I wonder sometimes. God does reward our generosity, though, with joy and a sense of nearness to Jesus.
Holy Lord, help me to see opportunities to practice being a cheerful giver. Even if my stores are low, I should be ready and willing to share. Amen
Becky, transforming
John 6:1-14
After a particularly bad summer storm, we had a lot of debris and a big mess to clean up in our yard, branches, leaves, and twigs everywhere. As we were bemoaning all the work that needed to be done, our almost 4-year-old grandson, at the time, said with enthusiasm, “I can help!”. We all chuckled at his innocence. As we cleaned up all the big branches, our grandson was busy picking up as many small twigs that he could, making one trip after another to the curb with his small loads. It turned out that all those small loads made a huge difference. Being very tired from cutting and hauling big branches to the curb, it was…
John 6:1-14. 2 Corinthians 9:7 The Little We Offer
Today's devotion was very uplifting. To have a child understand the world around him and then act with such kindness giving away his dinner. This tell us that giving is not just about money. Food, goods, time, and talents are just as importnt if not more. The author's last line about being generous in a small way reminds me of a Mother Theresa quote, "not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love." We should never think that those small things, like visits, cards, and phone call aren't important!
Prayer: Gracious God (copied from today's author). If we are all generous in …
Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
The little wee offer
(Focus children who are homeless
Today’s reading John 6:1-14 little boy who gave his meal genoisily
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
There are thousands of scripture lessons in God’s word regarding one’s giving .One that I can always remember is when Jesus praises a poor widow who gives two small copper coins- her entire livelihood—saying she gave all she had to live on, representing complete trust in God because she gave more than the wealthy, who gave from their own abundance. The need is real, I see many beggars wandering in the…
John 6:1-14/2 Corinthians 9:7
As uncomfortable and conflicted as I tend to be when encountering beggars on our streets, I find it hard to imagine living in an environment where one is literally constantly confronted by extreme poverty. How long would I be a cheerful giver in an atmosphere like that of India? Children forced to live on the streets remains an abstraction in my mind, so different than what I see in the flesh here at home. The Scriptural imperative is to give freely. At the same time, God’s Word also calls us to practice discernment. I admit my struggle and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my actions.
Prayer - Generous God, Jesus’ example of cheerful giving should…