||Rhema for the Week||

“Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” — John 6:12

There is something deeply instructive about the life of Jesus that we must learn if we are going to understand the culture of the Kingdom: God does not waste. After feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fish, Jesus gave His disciples an instruction that may appear insignificant in comparison to the miracle that had just taken place: “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” The miracle was complete, the people had eaten, and there was an abundance remaining. Yet Jesus was concerned about what remained. He would not permit what had been multiplied by divine power to be treated as disposable. The fragments still carried value because they had come through the hands of God.

This gives us a window into the character of Christ and, consequently, the culture of the Kingdom. Waste is not a character of the Kingdom. What God provides, establishes, teaches, entrusts, or places into our hands is never without purpose. There is an intention behind divine investment, and the responsibility of the steward is to ensure that what God has invested is not lost, buried, neglected, or rendered unfruitful.

This principle becomes even clearer in the parable of the talents. The master entrusted his servants with different measures according to their abilities. He did not merely give them resources; he gave them something that belonged to him and expected them to administer it faithfully. Two servants understood the nature of the assignment. They took what had been entrusted to them and caused it to increase. When the master returned, they were able to present the fruit of his investment. The third servant, however, buried what he had received. His failure was not that he had stolen the talent. He still possessed it. He had preserved it. He could even return exactly what he had been given. Yet the master condemned him because preservation without fruitfulness was not faithful stewardship.

The Kingdom therefore does not measure stewardship by what remains in our hands, but by what God’s investment produces through our hands. God has invested Himself in us. He has given us salvation, grace, time, spiritual gifts, revelation, opportunities, relationships, resources, experiences, and assignments. He has brought us into encounters that were never intended to terminate in the encounter itself. Every revelation carries an expectation of obedience. Every grace carries an assignment. Every gift carries a purpose. Every opportunity carries the possibility of fruit. His investment is for His harvest not our enjoyment.

This is why Paul speaks so seriously about the works of the believer being tested by fire. The foundation is already established: Jesus Christ. But what each man builds upon that foundation will be examined. Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble all represent works that may appear similar outwardly but differ in substance and eternal value. The fire reveals what the work truly was. There is a difference between activity and fruitfulness. A person can spend years doing many things and yet fail to accomplish what God intended. A ministry can become busy without becoming fruitful. A believer can accumulate revelation without obedience, attend meetings without transformation, receive gifts without stewardship, and possess opportunities without ever converting them into eternal fruit.

The Kingdom does not celebrate movement just because there is movement. God looks for fruit. Jesus is still looking out there to save more souls..He died for all and deposited His Spirit in us in manifold graces to continue His work of salvation. He wants nothing wasted. Perhaps there is revelation you received years ago that you have never acted upon. Perhaps there is a gift you have neglected. Perhaps there was an opportunity God gave you that you treated as insignificant because it did not appear large at the time. Perhaps there are relationships, experiences, resources, or lessons that you have considered fragments of your journey rather than divine investments.

Jesus’ commands “Gather the pieces!” Do not despise what remains.

Further reading: Matthew 25:14–30, 28:19, 1 Corinthians 3:11–15, Ephesians 2:10