Only?

October 14, 2026

"Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts."

— Andrew Murray (1828–1917)

 

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, As we open Your Word today, we quiet our hearts and draw our attention away from the rush of our daily lives. Grant us the stillness and the room we need for Your Holy Spirit to move deeply within us.

Bible Readings

Psalm 100:4

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Matthew 14:13–21

"When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.'

Jesus replied, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.'

'We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,' they answered.

'Bring them here to me,' he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children."

 

Reflection

The miracle of multiplication is one event I truly wish I could have witnessed firsthand. Are there any accounts in the Gospels that you would have liked to see for yourself?

Sometimes I wonder what the atmosphere was like when Jesus turned water into wine, healed a person from leprosy, stopped the flow of blood for the woman who suffered for twelve years, or took the hand of a little girl who had died and said, "Talitha koum" (little girl, arise).

Imagine for a moment the experience of being right where Jesus was—surrounded by crowds eager for a miracle, a profound teaching, or simply a chance to ask a question. I'm sure I would have had several questions myself, wouldn't you?

Jesus led His life in a constant, unbroken awareness of God's presence. He exemplified a life lived in nearness to the Father, dedicating His existence to glorifying God and displaying His works. His compassion and care for others never waned. He was ever-present and fully focused on the moment. At the cornerstone of this way of life was Jesus’ ability to be deeply grateful in all circumstances.

Have you ever noticed how Jesus prepared for major undertakings in His ministry? He spent time in prayer early in the mornings or late at night. Prayer was His intimate connection to His Father—a connection that we have today as well. Don’t ever forget that! Jesus never attempted to do anything for the Kingdom of God without spending vital moments in the "quiet place," the "secret place," or the "remote place" where He could be truly alone, away from distractions, in God’s strengthening and empowering presence.

In our Gospel reading today, we encounter the feeding of the 5,000. What strikes me is how little Jesus had to work with—just five loaves and two fish. When Jesus asked the disciples what they had available, their response was telling: "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish" (Matthew 14:17). By using the word only, they limited the potential of what was in their hands, forgetting whose presence they were standing in.

I am not being hard on the disciples. I do that too, don’t you? Don’t we often say things like, "This is all I have, and it will never be enough"?

Statements like those were never part of Jesus' vocabulary. Faith in God's ability was. As a result, He brought God into His "little"—into His "only"—and watched God multiply the bread and fish. As the saying goes, "Little is much when God is in it!"

Jesus called for the loaves and fish, and we read that He gave thanks for the little. Then, the supernatural happened. The five loaves didn't instantly transform into mountains of bread all at once; rather, this is so important—the multiplication happened in the breaking. As the disciples obeyed and followed Jesus' directions, and as the bread was broken and distributed, it replenished itself.

I am learning that when we are thankful for the little we hold in our hands, we may not see an immediate abundance, but we will experience God's amazing outcomes as we faithfully trust and obey. Our Gospel reading shows us that God provided and multiplied the "only"—with twelve baskets of leftovers to spare!

The key for each of us as followers of Jesus is to remain thankful as He continues to supply all our needs. Remember that pivotal moment: "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks."

"My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19 

Amen.

Prayer 

Heavenly Father,

As we close this time in Your presence, we thank You for reminding us of Your endless provision and unfailing care. 

"Where in your life right now

are you holding onto an "only"

that needs a little more gratitude?"