When we talk about sharing the reality of Christ with the people we encounter, we cannot afford to neglect the needs of those same people. Their needs may not be extreme, but they are needs nonetheless. And if we are to demonstrate the love and kindness of God, we must imitate His compassion and consideration to provide for those who He ministered to.

When we read about the miracle of the feeing of the 5,000, we see that Jesus had a purpose in developing the faith of His disciples, meeting the needs of the ones who had come to see Him, and demonstrating His authority as the one God had sent.

We must realize that there will be times that God tests us to see if we are reliant on Him by asking us to be obedient in a situation that may be impossible without Him. In our obedience, we grow in our faith, testify to God's love, and meet a need that can build trust in God's people to be salt and light in the world.