Faith and Consecrated Offerings

The miracle of the gospel is the power of the Atonement to complete, amplify, and polish our daily efforts. I was reminded of this while reading in Matthew 14 from the New Testament in class this past week. A huge multitude of people was gathered together to hear the Savior speak. Upon finishing the sermon, the apostles were ready to send the people away to eat (verse 15). Verse 16 says, “But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat”. This is a beautiful passage of scripture. The Good Shephard will never turn anyone away. He invites all to come unto Him and to be filled. Such is the case in this chapter. After the apostles informed Him that there were only five loaves and two fishes available, Jesus simply told them to bring the food to Him. He then “commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full” (Matthew 14: 19-20). More than five thousand people were filled that day through the power of the Savior. It is important to first acknowledge that one person- a young lad amongst the crowd -- was willing to give up the only food he had in order to feed thousands of people. This act required significant faith. This faith and consecrated sacrifice was sufficient for the Lord to magnify the food offered that day and stretch it beyond its normal capacity. When we act in faith and place an offering on the altar of God, we will always walk away better than when we arrived. Our actions and efforts to live the gospel may not always seem adequate, but when coupled with the Atonement these efforts turn into faith-infused strength and heaven-sent power. I know that as we strive to keep the commandments, live the gospel teachings, and exercise faith in doing what the Lord asks of us, then He will amplify and perfect our lives, so much so that they overflow with blessings.