Check back each Monday for a short devotional with Chaplain Art Pace to help you start the week off well.
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
John 6:8-9
In our Bible verses, a child responds to the call of Jesus to feed the large crowd who came to hear him preach. The barley bread and small fish indicate that the boy was poor. He was willing to sacrifice the little that he had just because Jesus asked.
Thanks to the sacrificial, obedient faith of that child, the crowd witnessed an incredible miracle, and thousands were abundantly fed. As it has been said, God can do much with our little if we give it all to Him. What an example this child set for us!
April is designated as the Month of the Military Child. The Department of Defense recognizes the unheralded sacrifices routinely made by the children around us. They have to go from school to school, from familiar to unfamiliar, giving up old friends in the hopes of making new ones, and often having to live far away from supportive, extended family. They deserve our encouragement and appreciation. They are worth celebrating. And they just may bring us a blessing.
May this month of the Military Child remind us that God works his miracles in surprising ways, even encouraging us through the simple acts of children.
In what ways are you unselfishly responding to the call of Jesus? What can you do this week to encourage any Military children in your life?
