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United in Spirit and inspired by God’s grace, we welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all.
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BALANCING THE BUDGET

Stillspeaking Devotional by Emily C. Heath

“Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples…When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.”
-John 6:3-5

Churches love balanced budgets. It’s true. Ask just about any congregation’s leadership about the health of their church and often, before you even hear about discipleship, you will hear about whether the budget is in the black or in the red.

I understand why that’s important. We are certainly called to be good stewards. But I have never yet met a congregation who thought they had enough.

By this point in his ministry, Jesus had already amassed a following. But when the crowds came to hear him on the mountain, his disciples looked out and saw not a blessing, but a problem. Jesus sensed their anxiety and asked them, “How are we going to feel all these people?” Philip replies that it would take six months’ worth of wages for everyone to even get a bite.

It seems Jesus and the disciples had not paid much attention to the food line item in the first church’s budget.

And yet, Jesus does something no one expects. When everyone else is stuck in a scarcity mindset, Jesus is instead living in the abundance. He looks out, finds what the people are willing to give, and blesses it so that it may be a blessing to others.

Maybe Jesus was trying to tell us something there. Maybe, just maybe, we have enough.

Prayer
God of abundance, give us gratitude for what we already have and turn our hearts away from worshiping bottom lines and towards celebrating the abundance that comes from you. Amen.