Think About It
Bread is common to experience in most cultures, both past and present. My grandmother, my mother, myself, and my daughter all were known to make homemade bread. The yeast in the bread gives the pungent taste to the dough and pleasant smell as it bakes.
In third grade I memorized the verse, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." It was the first verse in a little red booklet of verses. I was on the top bunk and my little sister was on the bottom bunk. I taught it to her, then we recited it together. We said the verse many nights before we said our prayers. I wondered at its meaning. Somehow I knew it was an important concept.
Scripture mentions bread in many passages besides the Last Supper. Some are well known.
"Give us
this day our daily bread." We ask God for our daily sustenance. Spiritual sustenance, physical sustenance, God's enabling for the day; the bread is like manna in the desert. We are given what we need.
"Cast your
bread upon waters." We share what God gives. The bread multiplies. It becomes spiritual nourishment to many. Freely received, freely given.
"I am the
bread of life." Jesus is the bread of life. He is the source of our spiritual sustenance. He gives to us what we need for the day. He is the supplier. We are the receiver.
Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)
Jesus is the bread of life. Let's expand on the thought. Our daily supply for what we need is found in Jesus. What an astounding realization. Dwell on the thought for a moment. He is all that and more. I'm thinking of the many ways Jesus meets my needs, day after day; be they emotional, physical, relational, spiritual, or financial. I depend on His sustenance. Just wow!
These Covid-19 months have been hard for everybody everywhere. I've listened to the stories of family and friends. One elderly widow said how she got up, couldn't see any purpose in the day ahead of her. She didn't bother to get dressed for the day. After all, she couldn't go out, and no one could come to visit her. So she went back to bed. Isolation is not natural for us.
Jesus understands. He is with us even when we are all alone. I get discouraged. I get lonely. I live like a hermit except for the occasional family visitor. Jesus holds my hand as we walk through it together. He gives comfort and strength. He is bread in new ways not experienced before 2020. I depend on Him to meet my emotional needs and to provide my spiritual filling. We need Him all the more when our access to human contact is limited.
Every experience in life teaches us something more. I call this the power of more. We are empowered by the things we know for sure. I know God is with me. I know Jesus will give me my daily bread. I know there is life in what He gives which will last me as long as needed. I know I am here for a purpose; one that has positive repercussions. I also know I can't do life well without Jesus.
Application
- A - Accept the Bread of Life
- B - Believe on Jesus Christ as your Savior.
- C - Confess your sins; Cherish Christ's life in you.
We have been given everything we need in Jesus Christ. When you pray the Lord's prayer, think through what you are saying to God. Pray each phrase and meditate on its meaning. This prayer impacts every aspect of life. Jesus is pleased when we want Him. He expects us to rest in Him. He is the lifter of our souls even during a pandemic.
The Lord's Prayer aka Our Father:
- "This is how you should pray:
- 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name,
- Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
- Give us this day our daily bread.
- Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'"
- Amen
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Photo by Dominda Perera, Unsplash
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