Bread of Life

Bread of Life
March 22, 2010
Luke 4:4 "Jesus answered, 'it is written: man does not live on bread alone.'"


It takes a great deal of sustenance to feed and maintain your human body. You might be able to make it most days even if you skip a meal here or there, but eventually it will catch up with you. You feel it coming on, when you haven't eaten enough healthy food to give you the right amount of energy. You feel crabby, moody, maybe your brain feels foggy. Your body craves something nutritious to fuel itself, in order to keep it working properly, lest you feel run down. Sure, we'd all like to eat ice cream and donuts every day, but we know it takes a balance of nutritious food to stay operating at peak performance. If you've ever tried to make it a whole day on just a candy bar, you end up wanting something more nourishing. And it takes constant feeding of proper nutrition to keep your body working, not just the one plate of veggies you had a year ago. Even healthy bread won't satisfy you; despite possibly being whole grain, your body needs more than bread alone.

You've heard the phrase many times, "man does not live on bread alone." But what does it really mean? The Israelites were taught the answer the hard way, when God fed them manna from heaven in the desert for forty years. Moses had to explain it to them, even after they lived it for so many years: Deuteronomy 8:2-3
"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."

The Israelites thought that all they needed from God was food for their bodies, but they never realized they needed so much more from Him. They needed a personal relationship with God. Then, thousands of years later, Jesus had to explain it again, adding more clarity, because evidentially no one truly understood it. Jesus called himself the bread of life in John 6:33, "For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Jesus was referring to more than the physical need for sustenance to keep the body alive. Sure, you need actual food, but food is not all that is required. You need a relationship with Christ to balance your proper diet, to stay fueled and focused in this life. Your body needs more than food to survive; it needs a relationship with Jesus to stay alive. If you have Jesus, you have all that you need. If you feel you are lacking in some area of your life, it might be you are neglecting to feed yourself the proper diet of a daily relationship with Jesus Christ.

When life is getting the best of you, it takes proper nutrition to get you going again. It is probable you need more of Jesus in your life. Either you aren't spending the time with Him that you should, or you are not feeding your mind from the Word (the Bible) or soaking up His presence in prayer. While I can't fault you for having a busy life, if you're too busy to spend time with the Lord every day, then you WILL get run down in this life. This world is harsh and the elements will beat down on your body, demanding more of you than you have to give. If you've neglected your time with the Lord, this life will overtake you and eventually cause your body to fail; you need the proper nutrition. You cannot rely on the meal you had yesterday, it takes a daily dose of the Lord to keep you in the best possible shape to tackle the demands placed upon you. Start with researching some of the scriptures in this devotionalbyte; it's a great start. It's important to remember that Jesus is the Bread of Life that will sustain you.

1. What are you feeding yourself, spiritually, to keep yourself healthy?
2. How much time do you spend feeding yourself from God's Word every day?
3. How can you "fuel up" on the proper Godly things every day?

Add. Scriptures for Study: Deut 8:2-3, Pro 6:25-27, Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4, John 6:24-26, John 6:32-36, John 6:48, John 6:51