February 17
A Young Boy
“There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves.” —John 6:9
Read John 6:1-15
The boy mentioned in our text was nameless, but he was with the multitude that followed the Lord Jesus. Maybe he went along out of curiosity as many of the people did (v. 2) or maybe he was genuinely interested in the Lord. We don’t know. Was he converted later on?
We don’t know that either. Would it be possible to witness all those miracles and remain an unbeliever? It might seem so, but we mustn’t be too quick in our reasoning. If you had been that boy, you reason, you certainly would have believed, right? But wait a minute. How are things with you now? Has everything you experienced in your life brought you to the Lord? Every day you receive food and drink in abundance, as well as your health, your Bible, and catechism classes. Maybe all these blessings are a matter of course for you; you take no special notice of them and even take them for granted.
If this is true, then the real danger exists that verse 66 may apply to you: “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” This took place after the Lord Jesus admonished His hearers that they should not follow Him just for the miracles He did. They were not interested in the Lord’s work as Saviour. They ought to have followed Him because He is the Bread of Life. But they wanted to have nothing to do with that part of Christ’s work. Perhaps the young boy did not either. What is your attitude to this?
How do you experience the power of God in your life?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.