Jesus: Our Daily Bread or an Occasional Energy Boost

by Teresa^(1,655) Bronze Star

Are you a once a week – two hour a day Christian, perhaps a twice a year Christian? By this, I mean this is how often you attend to your spirit in fellowship with God and other Believers feasting on the word of God to sustain you. If this is the case, chances are you are an unhealthy Christian at best, or not a Christian at all – deceiving yourself at worst.

God calls us to a daily walk with Him. He desires daily communion – in prayer, in connecting with other Christians, and in reading His word. Fellowship with other Christians and “corporate” church gathering is not an option, it is a command – and not only intended for 2 hours once a week.

Jesus is the Manna of the New Testament – He is the Bread of Life, and He shared the need for daily manna. We have a picture in the Old Testament of how, “yesterday’s” manna is not enough for “today” and how “today’s” manna will not be good for “tomorrow”.

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, they journeyed through the wilderness toward the promise land. They celebrated the victory God gave, and sang praises to His name, but just as we do today, they soon forgot His deliverance and began to complain that they had no food to eat, and actually wanted to go back – imagine, wanting to go back to slavery and oppression because at least their belly’s would be full. Sounds a lot like what we do to give temporary satisfaction to our sinful cravings that leave us worse off than before…

God in his grace listened to their complaint, without scolding and instead revealed the plan he had in place all along – to rain food from heaven – every morning, a fresh batch. He told them not to gather more than they need for the day. It was an issue of trust for their daily need on their part. When they horded, the next morning, the wafer would be rotten and filled with worms. Yesterday’s food was not good enough for the present day – God wanted them to give them fresh provision. Chapter 16 of the book of Exodus explains this in detail.

God’s daily provision is echoed throughout the Old Testament and when we move into the New Testament, we see Jesus teaching the same thing. When instructing His disciples on how to pray, (It should be noted this was an instruction of how to pray and not specific words to repeat – as we learn from the prayers we read of Jesus.) He says something interesting:

“..Give us day by day our daily bread…” Luke 11:3

Jesus teaches us to ask god for our daily needs, but he uses this phrase “day by day” – this implies a contentment and a trust for God to supply today’s need today, not stockpile for the next week. This refers to our physical and spiritual needs.

He puts it this way in Matthew 6:11

“…Give us this day our daily bread…”

In another place Jesus says, “…I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple…” Matt. 26:55

Still another He says, “…If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

It is evident that our relationship with God should be a daily event; more importantly, why wouldn’t we want it to be?

Perhaps it’s because we want to live our own lives – do as we want regardless of what God has to say about it. It’s only when we feel ourselves overwhelmed, hurting, or confused, we call on God – then we call ourselves believers and want the benefits of God’s blessing. We have warning from God regarding this kind of behavior as well.

We read in Deuteronomy 11:26 - 28

“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse; ‘the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and a curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.”

This verse tells us that we have the option to choose each day to walk in the blessing or the curse – it is set out before us, not forced upon us as reward or punishment, but a choice that will reap its own reward.

Again in Deuteronomy 30:19-20

"Today I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live”

In context, Joshua is speaking to the children of Israel. They had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt, and free to fellowship with, and serve the One true and living God – why did some of them leave the blessing behind – why do some of us?

As I mentioned in the beginning, Jesus calls us to an abundant life with God through daily fellowship with Him – feeding off His word, and His presence through prayer and interaction with other Christians. Energy boosts are cheap imitations of a real and lasting source of life – they leave us high for the moment, then we crash and burn, left only to feel let down.

Don’t try to live off of last week’s manna; God is exceedingly worthy of our daily worship and in His great love for you and me, He only desires we come so we can be content and filled with our need to face the day with victory. Don’t leave your blessing sitting on the altar, it just might be snatched up by someone who wants it.

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I find other things to do instead of sitting at your feet.

Article submitted Thursday, August 06, 2009 & read 450 times.

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