Fresh Baked Bread
*****************
Yes, he
humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you
with manna, a
food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He
did it to teach you
that people need more than bread for their life;
real life comes by
feeding on every word of the LORD. (Deuteronomy
8:3 NLT)
But Jesus
told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People need more than
bread for their
life; they must feed on every word of God.'"
(Matthew 4:4
NLT)
I grew up in Indianapolis Indiana. A block over from our
house was
a wonder bread factory. Every morning, if the wind blew from
the
north the mouth-watering smell of fresh baked bread blew right
over
our house. In the summer, if our windows were open, the
smell
breezed right through the house.
There is nothing like the
aroma of fresh baked bread. In thirteen
years, living in that house I
never tired of the smell of fresh baked
wonder bread. I attribute that
experience to my love for sandwiches,
toast, cinnamon toast, and bread
pudding.
The wonder company makes some good bread, but I believe it
would fail
miserably if compared to the bread God made. Soon after the
children
of Israel crossed the Red Sea, God introduced them to fresh
baked
Manna. Oh, I can just imagine the sweet heavenly aroma of
fresh
Manna. I can just imagine every bite of Manna melting in my
mouth
like honey.
David calls it angel's food. Can you believe
that? God gave these
people angel's food.
They ate the food of
angels! God gave them
all they could hold. (Psalms 78:25 NLT)
This
bread from heaven was special in many ways, but there is one
aspect of
manna that carries with it the suggestion of feeding on
God's word. The
manna was good for just one day. They could not
collect more than they
needed to feed them in a day. In the same
manner, we must feed on God's
word every day.
Our strength in life is dependent on a daily
nourishment of the food
of angels. That is right, the food of angels.
Every day in heaven,
the angels feed on God's awesome word. Hear what
David says about
this.
Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel
in strength,
that do his commandments, hearkening unto
the voice of
his word. (Psalms 103:20 KJV)
Angels excel in strength, not from
physical manna, but from the word
of God they hear in heaven. Bread can
only give us physical strength
for a short time until we grow hungry
again. On the other hand,
God's word strengthens our spiritual being
forever.
We can vividly approach God's word every day as fresh baked
bread.
Can you smell the sweet aroma of God's love, mercy, holiness,
and
compassion for your very life? Inviting you to feed on his
word
every day results in a heavenly nourishment that you just can't
do
without.
Prayer
******
Father in heaven, I thank you
so much for giving me your word from
heaven that sustains and strengthens
my life here on earth, and
preserves it until I come home to you God.
Please Father, help me to
feed daily on your word. Help me Father to
savor every bite of your
word. In Christ name, I pray
amen.
