Cultivating a Heart of Compassion for KidsSample

Day 5: Compassion in Action

What is your favorite thing to pack in your lunch?

Our Bible Story today looks at a boy who had in his lunch five loaves of bread and two fish. Have you heard that story before?

Jesus was talking to a huge crowd (the Bible tells us that the men alone were about five thousand people, and that didn’t include women or children). They were all getting super hungry, and Jesus asked His disciples where they could get enough food to feed every person there. They found a young boy who in his basket had five loaves of bread and two fishes.

The boy had a choice in that moment, to hold onto his bread and fish or to give them over to Jesus. If the boy had held onto the bread and fish (the little he had) we wouldn’t still be talking about this story today. Instead, the boy gave Jesus the bread and fish, and Jesus blessed it and fed every person there. The Bible goes on to say that even after every person was full that they still had enough to fill twelve baskets with scraps left by the people. Talk about a huge miracle!

Both Jesus, and the boy did something that day. They didn’t just sit there, but they both saw a need and demonstrated compassion in action. The boy gave what he had to Jesus. It didn’t look like much, but he gave it. Then Jesus didn’t just take it and keep it for himself. No, Jesus blessed it and then gave it out and fed five thousand people with it.

God has given you talents, gifts, and other things that He has placed within you to help the world around you. Those things are important for you to not just hold onto for yourself, but to give to Jesus and allow Him to use and to reach and help those around you.

Our Compassion Challenge today is to take a few moments and ask God to show you what talent, or gift He has given you and how you can show someone God’s love.

Dear God, thank You for the things that You have given us. Help us use the things we have to bless those around us, so they can know You love them. Amen.