This Sunday we will begin our new Sunday morning series which is a study of "Questions Jesus Asked."

In my Bible reading this morning in Mark 6, I came on another of the hundreds of questions Jesus asked: "What do you have?" In this face of a huge mob of hungry people, Jesus' question challenged His disciples to check their available resources.

As with us, their resources (a little boy's lunch) were woefully inadequate to meet the need, but sacrificed to the mission, Jesus multiplied their impact both to fill stomachs and to picture the coming kingdom/restoration when the Promised One will return and restore the ruined creation to its original perfection. Hunger will be banished.

Jesus' question, "What do you have?," reminded me of a note I recently saw which I had written some time ago in the front of my Bible:

"If you have household assets exceeding $61,000 then you are among the richest 10% in the world. If you have assests exceeding $500,000, you are among the 1% -- which numbers 37 million people. The bottom half of the world’s adult population have 1% of the world’s wealth."

As another modern prophetic voice reminded me, I "live on an island of luxury in an ocean of need."

May my heart be tender to how God wants to change me, and my hands open to share what He has so graciously given.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19