“Give us this day our daily bread”
Hello Saints,
Bread! A glorious food. It comes in all shapes and sizes. I’ve had my share. From French to focaccia, pizza to panini, croissants to ciabatta, bagels and buns, baguettes and brioches – I’ve had them all. There is nothing like a slice of freshly baked bread, still warm out of the oven with dripping butter or dipped in olive oil. Everywhere you go around the world, every culture has its staple of bread. Flatbreads and fruit breads, rye bread and corn bread, pancakes and crumpets; The list of varieties is endless. Somehow, bread has the power to unite people as they come together to ‘break bread’ in hospitality and fellowship. In the form of Manna, it was all the Israelites needed to survive a forty-year journey through the desert. God supplied it…their ‘daily bread’. ‘Bread’ in ancient times was synonymous with ‘food’. It provided the majority of a person’s calories for daily survival – up to 70%. Ancient grains had many of the nutrients people needed for health and survival, and the preparation of those grains for bread making preserved the nutritional value.
Today, however, bread is almost a taboo word. It is believed to be a source of health problems, and so many people stay away from all forms of it. Maybe the prayer is “Lord, give me anything but daily bread.” The attack on bread, in my opinion, runs parallel with the attack on the one true God, who supplies our daily bread. Kicking God out of society coincides well with kicking bread out of our diets. Bread was such a part of worshipping Yahweh. There were grain and wave offerings thanking God for provision of all that was needed to sustain life. Harvest festivals were in thanksgiving for supplying the necessities to make ‘daily bread’. ‘Showbread’ was even included in the temple to signify God’s continual care and presence, hence the name “bread of the presence”. It reminded the people of God that all that was needed for life, health, and prosperity came from the hand of God. The priests eating the ‘showbread’ together was symbolic of God communing and fellowshipping with His people. And greater still, the ‘showbread of His presence and provision’ pointed forward to Christ as the ‘Bread of life” and the true sustenance of His people who put their faith in Him.
The Gospel of John, chapter 6 is maybe the greatest chapter in the Bible to describe where true life comes from – Jesus! “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). “I am the bread of life” (6:35, 48). Never hunger again! Bread come from heaven, not as manna to last for one day, but bread that when consumed gives life forever (6:58). Even better than bread, Jesus is the one who supplies all that is necessary for life on every level. When you think of bread, if you still do with all the fear mongering, do you desire it fresh out of the oven, to tear a piece off and enjoy it with your favorite beverage. Do you crave the joy and satisfaction it provides, supplying the nutrients you need to sustain your life, and energy to accomplish all that is before you. Do you hunger for true bread? Is it your delight to feast on Christ as your daily bread? Do you pray, “Lord, give me daily bread…more of Jesus; Lord, I want true life, and I know it only comes as I delight myself in you, enjoying your presence, communing in fellowship, partaking of the bread you offer - Give me the desire for true bread.” Friends, you don't have to work for it. First century bread making was a lot of work - hours of it with grinding the grain into flour, heating the oven, etc. Jesus offers himself freely; no work...just faith: "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (6:27-29). Friends, daily bread is apprehended by faith - beleive and receive Jesus as the bread of life.
For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me. I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna.
(John 6:55-58)
Eat and be satisfied!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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