Well, after freezing as many as your freezer will hold, and estimating how much you can eat before the mold sets in, you find you have 40 loaves too many. Are you going to keep them and let them go bad, or are you going to share them with friends, loved ones, or those in need?
This is basically what Jesus is saying in this famous passage in the gospels:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Keeping all that bread to yourself just makes it go stale and moldy – it is no longer a blessing but a curse.
You see, blessings shared are like the butterfly effect - you don't know what ripples will be created. You receive blessings from God (money, material, or otherwise), and you have a choice of hoarding or helping. Of course, God wants us to enjoy His many blessings – but He knows that they are enjoyed more fully when they are shared.
Like the theory of the butterfly effect, where the flapping of a butterfly's wings in the South Pacific could affect the weather in Texas. The meaning of this is that even the tiniest influence on one part of a system can have a potentially huge effect on another part.
Who’s to say what may result from a small blessing shared – like giving a loaf of bread to a hungry child? That may be the difference in that child going to school well-fed and thinking clearly; scoring higher on an exam that gets them into an advanced program. The advanced program in High School prepares them for a career as a scientist. The child-turned-scientist makes a breakthrough discovery that leads to finding a cure for the otherwise deadly disease that you contract later in life.
Our charitable acts - whether in prayer, deed, or money (and hopefully, all three) – never go unnoticed or unrewarded in God’s economy!
#LoveMatters