Beyond Gifts: Loving the Giver Himself

Devotional

Day 1: Do You Love Jesus or Just His Gifts?

It is easy to be drawn to Jesus because of the blessings, miracles, and gifts He provides, but the true test of our hearts is whether we love Him for who He is, not just for what He can do for us. The crowds followed Jesus because of the signs and wonders, but when He challenged their motives, many turned away. Today, we are faced with the same question: do we love the Savior Himself, or are we only interested in what He can give us? Let us examine our hearts and seek to love Jesus above all else, treasuring His presence more than His presents. [20:37]

John 6:1-15 (ESV)
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 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?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Reflection: Is there something you are seeking from God right now that, if it were taken away, would make it hard for you to keep loving and following Jesus? How can you shift your focus to loving Him for who He is today?

Day 2: Give Thanks for What You Have, Even When It Feels Inadequate

Jesus took the small offering of five loaves and two fish, gave thanks for it, and God multiplied it to meet the needs of thousands. Gratitude is not reserved for abundance; it is a posture we are called to have even when what we have seems insufficient. When we thank God for the little, we open our hearts to see His provision and goodness in every circumstance. Let us cultivate a spirit of thankfulness, recognizing that every good thing comes from His hand, and trust Him to do more than we can imagine with what we surrender to Him. [13:01]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Reflection: What is one area of your life right now where you feel you don’t have enough? Can you pause and thank God for what you do have, trusting Him to provide in His way?

Day 3: Steward God’s Gifts Wisely and Avoid Waste

After the miracle of feeding the multitude, Jesus instructed His disciples to gather up the leftovers so that nothing would be wasted. This act shows that God cares not only about providing for our needs but also about how we manage and steward what He gives us. Whether it is our resources, time, relationships, or opportunities, we are called to use them wisely and not take them for granted. Let us honor God by being faithful stewards, making the most of what He has entrusted to us, and avoiding the trap of carelessness or waste. [16:03]

Proverbs 18:9 (ESV)
Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.

Reflection: Is there a resource, relationship, or opportunity in your life that you have been neglecting or wasting? What is one practical step you can take today to steward it more faithfully?

Day 4: Love People, Not Just Your Role or Service

Jesus’ compassion for the crowd was not about the act of feeding itself, but about loving and caring for people. It is easy to become attached to our roles, talents, or areas of service, but God calls us to love people above the tools or positions we use to serve. If your ability to serve in a certain way was taken away, would people still feel loved by you? Let us seek to love others with the love of Christ, valuing them above our status, skills, or routines, and letting our service flow from genuine care for those around us. [31:17]

John 13:34-35 (ESV)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Reflection: Think of someone you serve or interact with regularly—how can you show them love today in a way that goes beyond your usual role or routine?

Day 5: Follow Jesus for the Right Motives, Not for Earthly Gain

Many in the crowd wanted to make Jesus king because of what He could do for them—freedom from Rome, endless food, and security. But Jesus withdrew, refusing to be made king on their terms. He calls us to follow Him not for political power, comfort, or personal gain, but because He is the way, the truth, and the life. Our motives matter to God. Let us examine why we follow Jesus and choose to love and obey Him, even when it costs us or when the world offers us other incentives. [28:31]

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (ESV)
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Reflection: What is one motive or expectation you have in following Jesus that might be more about your own comfort or gain than about loving Him? How can you surrender this to Him today and follow Him with a pure heart?

Sermon Summary

In John 6:1-15, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding the five thousand, but the heart of the passage is not just about the miracle itself—it’s about the response of the people and the deeper question it raises for each of us: Do we love Jesus, or do we simply love what He gives us? The crowds followed Jesus, not because they understood who He was, but because they saw the signs and wanted more of His miraculous provision. This is a temptation that remains for us today. It’s easy to be drawn to God’s gifts—His blessings, His provision, His miracles—while missing the invitation to know and love the Giver Himself.

The story echoes the Exodus, where God provided manna for Israel, and yet the people’s hearts were often more focused on the provision than on the Provider. Jesus, like Moses, provides bread, but He is also the true and better Moses, the one who is Himself the Bread of Life. The miracle exposes our human inability to meet our deepest needs and points us to the sufficiency of Christ. Jesus gives thanks for what seems inadequate, multiplies it, and provides abundantly, reminding us to be grateful for what we have, even when it seems small.

Yet, the people’s response is telling—they want to make Jesus king by force, not because they recognize Him as Lord, but because they see Him as a means to their own ends. Jesus withdraws, refusing to be made king on their terms. This challenges us to examine our motives: Do we seek Jesus for who He is, or for what He can do for us? Will we love Him even when the miracles are absent, when prayers seem unanswered, or when life is hard?

God’s provision is not always what we expect. Sometimes He meets our needs in miraculous ways, but more often, He works through ordinary means, through our faithfulness, gratitude, and stewardship. He calls us to love Him above all, to serve others with what He’s given, and to follow Him for the right reasons. The true test of our faith is not in abundance, but in our willingness to love and trust Jesus, regardless of our circumstances.

Key Takeaways

1. True love for Jesus is revealed not in our response to His gifts, but in our devotion to Him when the gifts are absent. When miracles are rare and life is mundane or even painful, our faith is tested. Will we still love and follow Christ when He withholds what we desire, or is our loyalty dependent on His blessings? This is the heart of genuine discipleship. [23:28]
2. God’s provision often comes in unexpected ways, and sometimes not at all in the form we hope for. While He is able to work miracles, He more frequently calls us to trust Him in the ordinary, to be faithful with what we have, and to recognize His sufficiency even in lack. Our gratitude and contentment are cultivated not by abundance, but by recognizing the Giver in every circumstance. [13:01]
3. Stewardship is a spiritual discipline that honors God’s generosity. Jesus’ command to gather the leftovers after the miracle shows that even in abundance, waste is not God’s way. We are called to wisely manage our resources, relationships, and opportunities, using them for God’s purposes and not taking His gifts for granted. [16:03]
4. Our service and ministry must flow from love for Christ and people, not from attachment to roles, status, or tools. If our ability to serve is taken away, will our love for others remain? God calls us to love people with whatever He places in our hands, but our identity and affection must be rooted in Him, not in what we do for Him. [31:17]
5. The motives behind our pursuit of Jesus matter deeply. The crowds wanted to make Jesus king for their own benefit, but He refused to be used as a means to an end. God invites us to examine whether we seek Him for who He is, or merely for what He can do for us. The call is to love and follow Christ for His sake, not for the gifts He gives. [20:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - Introduction to John 6 and Series Context
[01:09] - Do You Love Him or His Gifts?
[03:18] - Opening Prayer
[04:35] - Recap: Jesus Heals at the Sheep Gate
[06:12] - Jesus Crosses the Sea of Galilee
[07:33] - The Passover Connection and Moses Parallel
[08:48] - Jesus Tests Philip’s Faith
[10:11] - Andrew Brings the Boy with Loaves and Fish
[12:43] - Jesus Gives Thanks and Distributes Food
[15:49] - Collecting the Leftovers: Stewardship
[18:22] - The Crowd’s Response: “This is the Prophet”
[19:18] - The People Try to Make Jesus King
[20:37] - Do You Love the Savior or the Gifts?
[23:28] - Loving God in the Absence of Miracles
[26:53] - Earthly Freedom and Following Jesus
[30:26] - Jesus’ Love and Our Call to Love Others
[32:35] - Faith, Gratitude, and Stewardship
[36:00] - Following Jesus for the Right Motives
[37:53] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What reasons does the passage give for why the crowd was following Jesus? ([06:26])
How did Jesus respond to the apparent lack of resources when faced with the hungry crowd? ([08:30])
What instructions did Jesus give after everyone had eaten, and what was the result? ([15:49])
How did the people react after witnessing the miracle, and what did they want to do with Jesus? ([19:18])

Interpretation Questions

The crowd followed Jesus because of the signs and miracles, not necessarily because they understood who He was. What does this reveal about human nature and our own motives for seeking God? ([06:26])
Jesus gave thanks for what seemed inadequate and then provided abundantly. What does this teach about gratitude and trust in God’s sufficiency, even when resources seem small? ([13:01])
After the miracle, the people wanted to make Jesus king by force. What does this say about their understanding of Jesus’ mission and their own desires? ([19:18])
Jesus withdrew when the people tried to make Him king on their terms. What does this show us about following Jesus for the right reasons? ([20:19])

Application Questions

The sermon challenged us to consider whether we love Jesus Himself or just the things He gives us. Can you think of a time when your faith was more about what you wanted from God than about loving Him for who He is? How did you recognize this in yourself? ([20:37])
When have you experienced God providing for you in an unexpected or “ordinary” way, rather than through a miracle? How did you respond, and what did you learn about gratitude? ([13:01])
Jesus told the disciples to gather the leftovers so that nothing would be wasted. In what areas of your life do you struggle with stewardship—whether it’s time, money, relationships, or opportunities? What is one practical step you can take this week to honor God with what you have? ([16:03])
The people wanted to make Jesus king for their own benefit. Are there ways you have tried to “use” Jesus to get what you want, rather than submitting to His will? How can you shift your motives to seek Him for who He is? ([20:19])
The sermon asked, “Will you still love and follow Christ when He withholds what you desire, or is your loyalty dependent on His blessings?” Is there an area in your life right now where you feel God is silent or not giving you what you want? How are you responding, and what would it look like to trust Him anyway? ([23:28])
Jesus’ love for the crowd led Him to meet their needs, but our service and ministry should flow from love for Christ and people, not from our roles or status. If you lost your main way of serving, would your love for others remain? How can you root your identity more deeply in Christ rather than in what you do for Him? ([31:17])
The sermon highlighted that God’s provision is often through ordinary means and our faithfulness. What is one “ordinary” area of your life where you sense God calling you to be more faithful or grateful? ([13:01])

Sermon Clips

Jesus goes into the temple through the northern gate that enters into the temple in Jerusalem called the sheep gate. He heals a man that was lame that could not walk. He was lame for 37 years if I remember correctly. The then he tells him to pick up his bed that he was laying on and and walk. It angered the religious leaders of the time who said, "Oh, no. You can't carry your your stuff on the Sabbath day. That's that's working." And so you're violating the law. So Jesus owns I did this. I healed the man. I told him to walk. And the religious leaders became I rate with him. Scripture actually tells us they started looking for how they could kill Jesus. So what ultimately uh ended up in his crucifixion began in John 5 that he didn't play by people's religious rules and instead he followed the heart of God which was for restoration and for love and for the healing and the wholeness of people and Jesus declared to them exactly who he was. He was God the son. [00:04:35]

A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. here as with many times in Jesus's ministry uh you don't have a huge crowd following him because of the doctrine that he had or the teachings that he was giving or the fact that he declared himself to be the son of man from Daniel 7 or God the son. They saw that he could do miracles and so they were following around the miracle worker. [00:06:26]

John writes this portion right here for one very important purpose. So you would borrow the stuff that you know about Moses and the children of Israel and that you'd bring it to this passage. So if you guys know the story of Egypt uh of Moses of the Exodus um some of you you've seen DreamWorks Prince of Egypt and you've got like the uh fun songs or whatever going in your head right now. That's okay actually for this instance because you need to know some of that. You need to think about God's provision for a people that could not save themselves. And through following exactly what God had outlined, the children of Israel found salvation. They were passed over when the death angel came through all of Egypt. And those that had trusted in the Lord and had followed him, they experienced salvation in it. [00:07:30]

Here there is a human inability to be able to meet the need. Uh as we'll read further on there's about four or 5,000 people that are there that are listening to Jesus and they've got five barley loaves and two fish. Uh I don't know about you guys. I'm not that great at math, but 4,000 or 5,000 divided by 7 is not going to be a great meal. And here Jesus's care for them wasn't just that they uh you know we can have an elective meal. Uh even as we'd read through some of the other gospels, people journeyed for a couple of days to be able to hear this wonder worker, this miracle worker. And so they were far away from home. It wasn't just, okay, I can take, you know, 2 hours, pop back home, grab some food, and come on back. It was people that were very far away from any food source. And so here Jesus cares for an immediate urgent need that is here for these individuals. Something humanly impossible, but with God nothing is impossible. [00:11:09]

Jesus took the loaves and after giving thanks. What he was given was inadequate for the need, but he thanked God for it. for you and I today when it doesn't look like we've we've got enough in the bank, do we thank God for what we have? When our relationship with our spouse or with our kids or with our friend isn't going so well, are we thankful to God that we still have any sort of relationship with them, that they're still around? Are you thankful for even the minuscule and small things in your life? [00:13:01]

God is immensely good to us. And so often when we are in dire need and when we're hurting inside, we forget all the good things that God has done for us. Can I encourage you? Let's give thanks for what God has given us. Now, it's not always going to give you everything that you want. Uh, you know, I'm I'm rather partial to um I don't know, honestly, a minivan would be kind of cool. I don't need it. Uh but, you know, uh there's been times that, huh, it could be fun to have a minivan. We had one friend in Washington State that um they they had a really nice minivan, and I was like, oo, I could get used to this. Um, but God doesn't always give you everything that you want. And that's okay because we don't have God's heart and so we don't always want the things that are best for us. But sometimes, as much as we want, God does give to us. So, let's be thankful for that. [00:14:55]

When I read through this verse, it just shocked me. I went, Jesus cared about like the unlimited, you know, is Olive Garden bread sticks that he's handing out to people and he cared about the waste. And then I remembered like the the verse in Proverbs that tells us uh a brother that uh is lazy is one that is just like one who who wastes or destroys his stuff. that it is a lack of care for what God has provided when we don't take good care of the stuff that God has given us. And here Jesus, even though he made the unlimited bread and fish that he handed out, he actually cared about making sure that everything that God had given was used for the purpose that it wasn't just a uh, you know, gigantic um, you know, landfill worth of food just strewn all over the place. and and he instructs the disciples to pick it up. [00:16:02]

Now, this could be kind of a generic like the humans that were there. This could specifically just be the males that were 5,000. And so then you would have an untold number more of women and children uh that were there. It's not specified in the text how many, but here at least 5,000 people. Verse number 11. Then Jesus took the loaves and after giving thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also with the fish as much as they wanted. I want to notice two things here. Number one, Jesus took the loaves and after giving thanks. What he was given was inadequate for the need, but he thanked God for it. [00:12:24]

And the truth is this, God often, most often works through the regular means of you and I. We want him to randomly, you know, we win the lottery and we've got two bajillion dollars and we're able to give, you know, 300,000 to the Annie Armstrong offering. Yeah, great. Awesome. We want that kind of miracle. We want a miraculous change in our relationships that without us having to do like any of the inner work of, okay, maybe I'm a jerk, maybe I talk too much, maybe I this or that. I gotta start, you know, shaping, changing who I am in line with the word of God so that I am not um that I'm not annoying to people, that I am not a a stumbling block in my relationship with others. [00:22:17]

Will you love God if your loved one passes from the sickness that you're praying for a miracle for? Will you love God if you never fully recover from your sickness? Will you love God if your marriage still falls apart? Will you love God even if you lose your home? It's when it gets down to those moments of severity that that we have to do the hard work to go, do I love a God that gives me stuff or do I love my God? That's not it's it's easy to say that. That is a hard existence to live for every one of us that have prayed for a loved one. [00:25:16]

Do you love your area of service in your church, in your family, or your volunteering? Or do you love Jesus and people? If you lost your hands and couldn't cook, if you lost your voice and couldn't sing, if uh I'll I'll give a throwback to Jimmy. If you lost your eyesight and couldn't switch slides, would people in your life still feel loved by you? If the area was gone, would they still experience your love for them? Are you loving people with a tool that God has given, or do you simply love the tool itself? [00:31:03]

Do you love the idea of God's working miracles? or do you love Jesus and want to follow him in faith? We can love the idea of Jesus working miracles, but do we love the idea of Jesus helping us to be a part of a miracle in someone else's life? that through the words that we say to someone, someone that is discouraged and depressed or anxious or on the verge of suicide that God can use your kind words towards another person to be a miracle in their life. For some people that the world encourages all of their choices despite how detrimental it might be to their soul or to their body. Will you be the one that is part of a miracle in helping someone else? [00:32:48]

When was the last time you thanked God for your job, for your kids, for your health insurance, for the opportunity to be able to get away for a weekend? When was the last time that you thanked a loved one for being a part of your life? When was the last time that you thanked your spouse for their love? When was the last time that you thanked someone that that served you at uh church potluck for some of our parents? When was the last time that that we thanked some of our nursery workers? God is always working and we ought to have gratitude even as Jesus himself did while he was on this earth. [00:34:31]

Are you taking care of your health? pacing yourself in tandem with the life stage that God has given you? Or are you still working like you're in your 20s when some of you uh are maybe no longer in your 20s? Conversely, those of us in our 20s and 30s, are we sitting back and and wasting the most productive years of our lives spending half our free time on on movies and social media? whatever God has given you, whatever strength he's given you, whatever relationships he's given you, he wants you to use those for him. [00:35:24]

And when the choice came between, okay, uh, I'm not going to give you food, uh, I'm not going to give you more endless food, uh, but I am offering you salvation and eternal life. They walked away because they were interested not in Jesus, but in the stuff that Jesus gave. And Jesus knew this. The Apostle Paul would tell us in 2 Corinthians 5, "The love of Christ compels us since we have reached this conclusion. If one died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and rose again. [00:36:26]

As I look across the room today, I don't think any of you are like, "Oh, I just hate the clothes that I'm wearing right now so much and I hate the car that I drove in and I hate the air conditioned building and I hate the sunshine outside." No, we're thankful for all of these things, but all the stuff isn't Jesus. And God's not saying like get rid of all the stuff. But as we hold with an open hand what the Lord has given us, may we also recognize and adore the hands that gave them to us today. Do you love him or do you love his gifts? [00:37:17]

Let's be those that hear who Jesus is, the son of God, the savior of the world, the one who died in our place, taking our punishment on himself, the one who rose again. Let's love him, not simply the good things that he can provide for us. I see from the passage Jesus's love. And for you and I today, he always provides you with his love to give to others. Jesus saw these people, the 5,000 plus, and he cared about them enough to want to give them a meal. [00:30:08]

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