The Loaf That Multiplies: A Baker’s Offering to God

"The Loaf That Multiplies: A Baker’s Offering to God"

During the silent beats of kneading and rising, as a home baker one discovers eternal rules kept in the inner part of kitchen. At some point in the many years, I have come to admit, I learned one so-called secret that does not only explain my baking, but also my lifestyle: What you keep is what you have, but you give, God multiplies. Not only is this a good piece of wisdom, as Craig Groeschel reiterates, but it is based on the divine economy of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus himself demonstrated this fact in the miracle of the loaves and fishes. As evident in John 6:9-13, a little boy gave out five loaves of barley and two fish which appeared to be extremely little but what made abundance when placed in the hands of the Savior. What was held at first, might have fed a single one, but what was generously given had fed thousands-there is something much more meaningful as a takeaway here that God starts multiplying where our tendency to give stops.

Being a home baker and cook, I can observe this miracle in my kitchen. Consider the Brioche, a soft buttery French bread that’s enriched with eggs and mild. Brioche is a labor of love- its dough that is gently kneaded over hours of folding, resting and patience. And yet, when heard with the rest, a single loaf brings joy that far surpasses its ingredients. Whether presented to a neighbour, served at church or even broken at home with family, its aroma carries more than flavor- it carries the spirit of generosity.

Acts of gift giving, in faith and open hands, create a divine encounter out of ordinary dough. The baker that hoards probably might have sufficient bread today, but the one that shares draws on a source which can never be exhausted. As Proverbs 11:25 reminds us: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

It is actually in this that a believer’s lifestyle is moulded or can say takes shape, and it is not by any lacking, but by faith. We give not because we possess; we give because we serve a God, who is filling our jar with oil, heals the sick; we serve a God who rains down manna in the wilderness, God who multiplies the loaves in the wilderness. When we decide to give in any form we repeat God-like gesture: Bread, time, kindness, forgiveness.

So, in your kitchen and in your life, let giving be your ingredient of faith. Your loaf, when surrendered, becomes God's abundance.

I could sum up my thoughts in a small couplet

The loaf I give becomes His grace,
Expanding far beyond my space.
In flour and faith, I see His plan,
God multiplies through hearts that span,