Bread of Heaven

Read: John 6

“Jesus says, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” - John 6:35

In today’s society, one or both partners in a marriage earn a wage to provide for their needs. Our idiomatic term for the wage earner is also the “breadwinner.” Even in our slang, we use the word “bread” as a synonym for “money.” Bread remains, at least in our language, as a symbol of the basic provision for our needs. A number of ancient archaeological sites turned up fossilized cakes of bread, showing it’s importance in our daily life for eons of time.

Whether bread is made from rye, barley, corn, millet, wheat, rice or even potato flour, it has been served as part of the basic human diet ever since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Paradise. God pronounced a curse on man and the whole earth, because of their sin. "…cursed is the ground for thy sake; …In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground..." (Genesis 3:17,19).

Due to God’s curse on the ground as the result of sin, whether we till the land or participate in any other “breadwinning” activity, it involves hard work in an uncooperative environment. God’s Word reminds us that, ". . . if any would not work, neither should he eat" (II Thessalonians 3:10).

Bread is also a continual theme throughout the Bible. The term "bread" in the Bible refers to food in general or is used symbolically as well. Abraham shared bread and wine with Melchizedek, king of Salem, which was a customary expression of peace and fellowship. To break bread with someone was an act of communion (Gen. 14:18).

Unleavened bread reminds us of the Israelites exodus from Egypt to a new life in Canaan (Exodus 12:39). For Christians, this trek is symbolic of our walk with the Lord in the Kingdom of God.

Also, the Bread of the Presence, or showbread, was placed daily in the Holy Place in both the Tabernacle and the Temple. One of the Levites’ duties was to tend to this sacred bread (1Chronicles 23: 29). This showbread reminded the Jews that God was their provider and sustainer, and they lived constantly in His presence. The showbread is only mentioned twice in the New Testament in Hebrews 9:2, and in Matthew 12:4 where it is called "The Consecrated Bread". Christians know that in Jesus, who is our True Bread of Life, our lives are lifted up above the mundane, earthly level, and we live with him "in the spiritual, heavenly realm" (Eph. 2:6).

Also, we have the manna in the wilderness. When the Israelites needed food, God promised to “rain bread from heaven” (Exodus 16:4). The next morning, when the dew lifted, there remained behind on the ground “a small round substance, as fine as frost. It was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (vv. 14, 31). Even in the face of the rebellion of Israel not to enter the Promised Land, God sustained them. He gave them bread from heaven that preserved their lives (Exodus 16:2-4).

The manna trained the Jews to completely depend and rely upon God for their daily bread. In the prayer that Jesus taught his apostles, He prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). We learn this obvious lesson from God’s manner of providing the manna. No matter how much effort a person invested to obtain it and no matter how much manna they gathered, each person ended up with his precise nutritional needs for a single day.

Those who attempted to store up manna for the next day, found that their "savings" spoiled during the night. This speaks to us of trusting God for our daily provision and to not store up treasures on earth, where rust and moth destroy, but in heaven instead (Matthew 6:19). The manna was actually called "the corn of heaven," and "angels' food" (Psalm 78:24-25).

Our bread of heaven, Jesus Christ, nourishes our lives and keeps us safe as we sojourn on this earth toward eternity with Him in heaven. Bread is a powerful symbol of God’s provision. John 6:31-51 gives us an abundance of symbolism, which includes Jewish historical tradition, as well as their cultural associations. Jesus taught that belief on Him is equal to eating spiritual manna, which is far superior to the Old Testament manna.

Manna gave temporary life to the Jews for one day only. However, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread (heavenly manna) of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven..." In John 6:35, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Jesus not only spoke the words of God, but He IS the Living Word of God. God stated “…man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3). The New Testament tell us that our life is in Jesus (John 1: 4).

Another instance of the use of Bread in scripture is found in the account of Jesus rebuking Satan in the wilderness temptation, "It is written," He said, "That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4). The Words of God’s Scripture are not only spiritual bread, but also honey and milk and meat (Hebrews 5:12). As we feast on the words of Scriptures, they give us life for our soul. As Jeremiah said: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" (Jeremiah 15:16). Or, as Job stated: "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). And in the longest psalm, there is this testimony: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103).

After the Korean War, a Korean orphanage soon discovered that, although the children enjoyed three solid meals a day, they had great anxiety about whether they would have food the next day. To help resolve this problem, the relief workers in one particular orphanage decided that each night when the children were put to bed, the nurses would place a single piece of bread in each child’s hand. The children held onto the bread as they went to sleep. It provided them with a “security blanket”, reminding them that tomorrow held adequate provision for their daily needs. Sure enough, the bread calmed the children’s anxieties and helped them to sleep.

Likewise, Jesus gives us security to lay down in sweet repose and to awaken the next morning with faith in His provision. We take comfort in knowing that our physical needs are met, and that He “Gives us our daily bread.”  These words teach us to come to God in a spirit of expectant dependence, asking Him to provide our needs and to sustain us each day. We make our needs known to Him, and then trust that He will provide.

Another Biblical illustration using bread is the parable of the loaves and fishes in John 6:1-15. Verses 12-13 tell us, “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” Jesus supplied their need in abundance, and He will do the same for us.

To believers out of fellowship with God, as with the elect nation of Israel, the spiritual bread that God sends can be very bitter. The Bible speaks, for example, of "the bread of tears" and "the bread of sorrows" (Psalm 80:5; 127:2). God disciplines whom He loves and chastized those who are His Sons (Hebrews 12:7). "Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel" (Proverbs 20:17). Those who participate in careless and unfruitful living, "…eateth not the bread of idleness" (Proverbs 31:27) and"..eat the bread of wickedness" (Proverbs 4: 17). The Bible also mentions the "bread of affliction" (I Kings 22:27), "the bread of adversity" (Isaiah 30:20), and "the bread of mourners" (Hosea 9:4).

All of our food, spiritual and physical, is provided by God through Jesus, "who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 3:9). In one sense, the Lord Jesus is in His entire creation, for "by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17) and He is now "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3). Even Paul expounded to the philosophers in first-century Greece, that the God who created the world was "not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:27-28).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I will give thanks to You, for You are good. Your loving kindness endures forever. I give thanks to You, Lord, for Your unfailing love and Your wonderful acts to the children of men, for You satisfy the thirsty soul and You fill the hungry soul with good things (Psalm 107:1, 8-9).

Thought for the Day:

“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

Surrendering With Serenity

Read: Matthew 16: 24-27

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10

Surrender is the hardest action for human beings to take. I fought it for years, because life scared me. I constantly used all of my human effort to attempt to ward off as many negative circumstances as I possibly could. It was only after I learned the Serenity Prayer that I realized how easy it really is to surrender everything to God.

Life hurts. All of us experience trauma, neglect and suffering. Therefore, we prefer to exert control over our life in order to maintain an emotionally, mentally and physically safe environment. We use our will power and a variety of negative emotions to keep ourselves safe, secure and centered in the illusion of a peaceful existence.

If we think realistically, however, what human being can actually prevent the inevitable by the sheer power of their self-will? (Matthew 6:27) Can we avert a disaster merely by human effort? We must answer these questions with an honest “No.” Since learning the Serenity Prayer, I started questioning why I ever tried so hard to procure this safe haven for my life, because it was all in vane anyway. 

The Serenity Prayer states: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Reinhold Niebuhr, author of the Serenity Prayer, beautifully elaborates on this concept: “Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.”

In order to surrender every area of my life, I started to live by Niebuhr’s Serenity Principle. This concept helps us when circumstances come that tax our mental, emotional or physical energy and affect us in a negative way. It prevents us from getting sick or depressed, which often occurs when we constantly obssess over the negative issues in our life, about which we can do nothing. In order to avoid these negative reactions, we can look at our circumstances through the microscope of the words of his now famous prayer.

The Serenity Prayer gives us our guideline. It teaches us that we can hear God’s desire for every situation in our life. Once He reveals His will, we can then deal with the circumstance if we are able, or we can put it in God’s capable hands before we go on to the next moment. This prevents the negative circumstances from coloring our future, our attitude and our behavior. It also allows us to experience each moment fully and deliberately with thought, prayer and purpose. It is all a matter of what we choose to focus on in our life.        

So, commit with me to pray that God will give you the courage to change the situations you can change, the serenity to accept the things which you cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference. Ask Him for the strength to deal with the issues that He reveals are your responsibility. Then turn the rest over to God and ask Him to help you to develop an attitude of acceptance about them. If you cannot change them, then praise God for them, in them, and through them, even for the negative things. By doing this, you will end up walking in complete serenity (Romans 8:35-39) and in the dynamic power of the Spirit of God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, life does not come with a guarantee. Help me to dwell in the shadow of Your wings and to trust in Almighty God to make a difference in my life, rather than to stand on a soapbox and rail against people and circumstances that I cannot change.

Thought for the Day:
Do I live according to my agenda or God’s will?

Living Stones!

Read: Ephesians 2:19-22

“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house,” - 1 Peter 2:5

An opal stone comes in a variety of hues  - black, white, orange, navy and green to name a few. Although their color may vary, they are all shot through with iridescent swirls that attract attention and mesmerize gem lovers like me. Opals are not found in large veins like many precious stones. Small clusters of gem-quality opal material may be scattered over a large area of miles in each direction. A fine gem quality opal is more rare than rubies and emeralds. It is a more natural gem, and is of brilliant beauty and obvious worth, even in its natural state. My favorite aspect about them is that opals are considered to be living stones.

Opals contain 3% to 10% water. They form in the cleft of almost any rock, but mostly in rocks such as limonite, sandstone and rhyolite. Fine-grained impurities determine their base color. Light deflecting through opals hits hard, transparent silica spheres, producing the luminous rainbow colors. Depending on the size of the spheres, varying colours of the spectrum are diffracted. So, it is a combination of deflection (bending) and diffraction (breaking up) of light rays that creates the colour in the opal. The orderliness of these spheres separates precious from common opals.

Opals must be protected from heat and detergents that "dry" the gem. Heat treatment is catastrophic!! In addition to cracking, loss of water in the stone causes loss of their brilliant iridescence. Jewelers encourage opal owners to soak this brilliant stone in mineral oil to retain its sparkle.

Many biologists believe that all stones are living, and they have done tests that suggest that stones actually breath, have a heartbeat and move. Marianna Anisosyan, a therapist and expert in biological energy, believes, “Stones undoubtedly possess energy too. Every stone carries a certain amount of life in it.” You already know where I’m going with this analogy, don’t you?

This gives so much more meaning to Luke 19:40, “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” God has a back-up plan. If we fail to praise His name, the stones will cry out in our place. I don’t want any stone praising God in my stead. I plan to praise Him every moment of every day, as well as with my dying breath.

The opal is a lovely type of the Church. 1 Peter 2:5 refers to Christians, as living stones. We can take a lesson from the delicate opal and relate it to our Christian walk. True, authentic Believers are not found grouped together, but scattered all over the world. God forms us in the cleft of our Rock, Jesus Christ. We thrive on the water of God’s Word. Fine-grained impurities in our carnal nature make us uniquely human for God to use for His glory. As we maintain a God-conscious orderliness in our priorities, we reflect His glory in varying degrees of spirituality. Soaking in the “oil” of His Spirit gives our life the glowing colors of His radiance. God also promises to prevent our life’s circumstances from wavering to extremes of hot or cold, so that we will never crack! (John 16:33)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, immersed me in Your Spirit, so that my light shines so brightly that men will see my good works and glorify You (Matthew 5:16). Help me to remember to drink from Your Word and to remain hidden in the cleft of My Rock.

Thought For The Day:

The Master Builder only uses living stones.

                                               

Stable and Secure

Read: Hebrews 1:10-12

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13: 8

For my fifth birthday, my Daddy took me to ride the carousel. I grinned with delight at the melodious music, vibrantly painted horses and the metal poles dancing with glittering lights. I climbed upon my valiant stallion full of anticipation and bliss.

Suddenly, the carousel started to move.

The abrupt jolt shocked and terrified me. The horse beneath me started to rise and fall. I almost lost my seating and I heaved in a great breath of air and held it with all my might. I squeezed my eyes shut and wondered why my daddy was being so mean to me. When I could hold my breath no longer, I cried out in horror and grabbed the horse’s neck to keep from falling.

I looked up to call my dad to help me; but he was gone! My panic increased to terror, and I screamed, feeling abandoned. Just then I spied him, still standing by the gate and waving to me with a joyful smile. I started to call out to him, but in an instant the carousel turned and he was gone again.

Of course, my father never moved. I caught glimpses of him now and again, and the sight of him brought me some comfort. I did not enjoy the carousel, though, as my father hoped I would. I clung to the horse’s neck the whole time and I never allowed myself to relax and experience the lilting melody, the pulsating colors and the breeze wisping my hair. When the ride ended I saw my Daddy still standing by the gate with his comforting smile and his hand outstretched toward mine.

Life’s circumstances are like a carousel - appealing at first with its glitz and glitter, but then frightening when things begin spinning out of our control. We accuse our Heavenly Father of abandoning us in these terrorizing experiences. Of course, He never moves (Hebrews 13:5). He is always there, within us.

Even if the mountains disappear and the hills fall flat, His steadfast love shall never stop flowing over us. His compassion and covenant of peace shall always remain with us (Isaiah 5:10). We are the ones who get carried away by insecure moments of life and lose sight of Him. We take our eyes off of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and we focus instead on the insecurity of the circumstances all around us.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are the same yesterday, today and forever. When fear rises in our hearts during some daunting experiences in our life, we no longer feel Your presence. You are still there, however, waiting for us to come around full circle and to put our hand in Your nail scarred hand.

Thought for the Day

If we trust our Father, we can relax and actually enjoy the ride!

Foundations of the Faith

Read: 2 Peter 1:5-8

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” - 2 Peter 1:3

As a new Christian, I wanted to skip the milk of God's Word (Hebrews 5:12) and to move right along to the meat. I wanted to hurry through the first principles of truth, so that I could wade into the deeper truths of the Kingdom of God. God slowed me down, however. He showed me that I had to grow in grace and wisdom by first getting a good, solid spiritual foundation based on the basic doctrines of our faith (Colossians 1:9).

In these studies, I learned that I secured my salvation by repenting of the dead works of sin and putting all of my trust in Christ. I made a public profession of what happened in my heart by getting baptized. I started the discipline of daily Bible reading and prayer. I found a church in which to learn and to grow and to fellowship with other Believers. Then I started telling others about what Christ did for me. I also learned how much God loves me and that He has a perfect plan for my life. Little did I know that these simple truths would see me through some rough times ahead.

After this, I started listening to the Holy Spirit's promptings on a daily basis. I learned to discern which thoughts He planted in my mind, and which came from Satan or human reasoning. I started teaching little children the truths of God Word. Then, years later, God started using me to mentor younger women and to encourage people in all walks of life.

Now, I thank God for that solid foundation. It saw me through the trials of losing all of my worldly goods more times than I care to count, of being rejected by my husband and daughter, of having to support myself after 22 years of marriage, of meeting a new husband with young children, and of changing ministries and homes twice since then. No matter what life throws at me, the storms never affect my spiritual house, however, because it was built long ago upon the bedrock of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to continue to grow in Your grace and to never fail to show love to those You bring my way. Help me to ensure that new Believers receive the same solid footing in the doctrines of our faith that I did, so that they too may withstand any storm life brings their way.

 
Thought for the Day:
Salvation is just the beginning of a wondrous journey with God.

Love Never Fails

Read: I Corinthians 13:4-8

“For God has said, ‘I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.’ 6 That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, "The Lord is my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.’ ”  - Heb 13:5-6 (TLB)

Trying to live in a constant state of perfectionism used to drive me in circles. Thankfully, I learned that God is love (I Corinthians 13: 4-8), and that His love covers a multitude of my sins. I do not have to be perfect in order to receive His love. Now, I can loosen up on myself and everyone else. His character includes patience and kindness; and though we fail, He never thinks evil of us. He takes no pleasure in disciplining us; but He is always faithful to discipline all of His children in order to bring us back to His straight and narrow road.

He bears with us, comforts us and embraces us in His everlasting arms. He rejoices when we walk in His truth and when we speak His truth to others and to ourselves. He believes we can do all things through Christ, His Son. Jesus endured the cross to ensure that we will never utterly fail. Now, Jesus lives within us by His Spirit, providing all the power of the entire triune Godhead for us to utilize as we need His help with a task, guidance to walk in His will, and protection to keep us safe.

These promises inspire assurance in my heart. I may make mistakes, but God’s love is not contingent upon my works. He calls us to reach for perfection, but He knows without His grace this goal is impossible. God created us as human beings, and He has the patience to wait as our character grows through the encouragement of His love. Therefore, I can do my best and leave the rest up to Him.

Prayer:

Lord, when I give in to Satan’s temptation to give up on myself, remind me that You are in my corner believing in my success. Help me to read Your Word, to delight in each thought it reveals, to allow it to divide between my flesh and my spirit in order to make me holy, and help me to share Your Truth with everyone I meet.

Thought for the Day:

God loves our humanity, because He made us as mere mortals!

Unbelief and Reconciliation

Read: Romans 5:8-10

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18

My ultimate joy as a human being is that I benefit from a personal relationship with the Living God of the Universe on a daily basis; a relationship where I walk in intimate fellowship with Him every moment of every day. Sin can separate me from His cherished companionship, but restoration is only a humbled prayer away.

We start out in life as enemies of God. Then, we are reconciled to Him by believing in the saving grace of salvation through the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross (Colossians 1:20). We are not only reconciled to God through Christ’s death, but we are also saved through His life! (Romans 5:10)

After walking with God for a few years, we stop noticing his daily provision and protection on our life. We take Him for granted and find less time to spend time with Him or to seek His will. So often we get an idea in our mind and run with it. We go from one worldly pursuit to the next, collecting human accolades and storing up treasure on this earth. We listen to our heart and follow its lead, but the heart is deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).

We eventually find our feet far from the path that Christ designed for our life. We suddenly discover that we are walking in disobedience and completely out of His will. Every sin is spawned from one major offense - the sin of unbelief. Unbelief keeps us out of the Kingdom of God on earth and prevents us from enjoying eternity with God in Heaven (John 3:16-18). Humbling ourselves, repenting and returning to Him are the only way out of this dilemma (Isaiah 55:7). He is waiting to forgive you, because He loves you unconditionally.

Once we return to Him and believe in the truths of His Word, He restores us to fellowship with Him (Romans 10:17). We inherit an unbelieving heart from Adam and Eve, but we acquire saving faith through Jesus Christ. He presents us holy in His sight, without blemish and free from any accusation that would condemn us for eternity (Colossians 1:22). This assurance works in our hearts and transforms us from children of darkness into children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Then God launches us into the ministry of reconciliation, to bring this same Good News to all of those, which He places in our lives (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Prayer:

Lord, help me to share Your plan of salvation with everyone I meet each day. Give me Your courage, wisdom and words to lead souls to faith in You. Keep me on a straight path, because of my enemies (Psalm 27:11); and surround me with your angels, so that I will not stumble (Psalm 91:11).

Thought for the Day:

When we were enemies of God, Christ reconciled us to the Father through His death.