Man does not live by bread alone
* Everything we have comes from the Lord.
As you abide in Jesus “The Vine” today,
May you flourish in His garden with an abundance of the fruit of His Agape Love.
* You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. John 15:16
If you think you’re too ordinary to be used of God, listen closely: God is
not going to do His last-days work through big-name evangelists or pastors. They alone will not be able to handle the great moving of His Spirit!
God said through Moses: “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
* What strikes me in this verse is that it is a reminder that we need to live His standards because in ALL circumstances He is taking care of us.
How easy is it for us to fail to recognize this when we’re on the side of the fence where life is good. No health problems, family doing well, can pay bills, car runs.
*We fail to notice that God is providing all things for us. It may be simple things–like our bills being paid, we have clean water to drink, we have heat in our shelter or our car is running–we just do not take the time to notice the simple things He provides us.
*Bread stands for all natural, material things necessary for this life—food,
shelter, clothes, labor, wages.
*Bread represents livelihood—those things we need that are not evil in themselves. Many Christians, however, live only for the things of this life—they live on bread alone!
Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
But first He said we were to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done”
(v. 10). We are to focus first on God’s interests—praying for His will to
be done!
What have you been thinking about more than anything else these past six
months? What has consumed most of your time and prayers? Has it been mostly bread issues—personal needs?
If you focus only on bread, then you have no life! You are living in a
wilderness, just as the children of Israel did. They rose daily and began
crying for bread—their personal needs—every day for forty years!
** That is boredom—drudgery! God never intended for His children to
live like that. Instead, He told Israel through Moses, “You should be living
by every word that proceeds out of My mouth! Yes, I told you I would give you
bread, but don’t stop there. Move on! I have told you there is a land flowing
with milk and honey, with rivers, trees, forests, green pastures—and I want
that place for you!”(Deuteronomy 27).
God is raising up a people who are focused on His will.
They are tired of living in a wilderness of mere survival. All they want is to
know and do God’s will.
The gospel isn’t simply a set of truths that non-Christians must believe in order to become saved. It’s a reality that Christians must daily embrace in order to experience being saved.
* The gospel not only saves us from the penalty of sin (justification), but it also saves us from the power of sin (sanctification) day after day.
* Our daily sin requires God’s daily grace—the grace that comes to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
**We are ALL SINNERS—–Not Mistakers!
Christians need the gospel because our hearts are always prone to wander; we’re always tempted to run from God.
It takes the power of the gospel to direct us back to our First Love.”Jesus” Consciously going to the Bible ought to be a daily reality and experience for us all. It means “preaching the gospel to yourself every day.”
We have to allow God to remind us every day through His Holy Spirit inspired Word of Christ’s finished work on behalf of sinners in order to STAY convinced that the gospel is relevant.
The only reason God will Enlarge a person’s territory is that He knows that person will use it Responsibly.
** He will steward what is given in light of God’s Kingdom. God truly wants to increase our territory to have greater influence in the world around us. That territory can mean personal influence and/or physical territories.
As we walk through this wilderness of the valley of the shadow of death, God will put various tests and trials before us to remove the dross of sin from us. The manna that He feeds me during this wilderness, is His WORD.
In His word I find all that I need for my daily walk and to live my life pleasing to Him.
*But I also receive manna from prayer, worship and from other brothers and sister of the body of Christ. All of this is to remind me that it is through the Word of God that I receive life.
*God’s word will discipline me to make me pure in mind, thought, word, deed, intent, attitude and imagination. The discipline of the word of God will teach me, strength, courage, endurance, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, love, joy and peace.
**Bread that comes from the grains of this world only satisfies the temporary hunger of the body, but gives nothing else to elevate my sin and hopelessness.
** Only the gift of salvation through the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, can feed and satisfy my hunger for hope and relive me of the burden of my sin.
**Only through Jesus Christ, can I receive the mercy, grace, forgiveness, love, joy and peace of the Father. The Bread of Life is the only way to truly be feed and satisfied.
*So the manna has a purpose beyond the physical sustenance.
It is to teach us that we live by God’s words. God’s word provides. His word sustains. His word protects. His word guides. His word is the way to live.
*We must live a lifestyle that declares the one that we serve!!!!! “JESUS”.
Heavenly Father I thank you for Your word that teaches, leads, guides and disciplines me. Thank You for the revelation of Your word and the truth that it teaches me in this, the present of today. I thank you Lord for your love and your kindness. I thank You for your goodness and your mercy that follows me all the days of my life.
Thank you Father God for being my provider, you Lord are my God and You provide more than enough for me. I bless your great and awesome and powerful name. Thank you Father that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, thank you for defending
me and keeping me safe. Thank you Lord for everything, you Lord are everything.
I can do nothing without you Lord. My soul loves You, thank You for loving
me. I will lift You up and magnify your great name I will exalt You Lord above all. Cause the eyes of my heart to be open and to understand your word, write your word on the table of
my heart. Fill my heart with your word Lord. I will speak your word. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Lord be acceptable in your sight, you Lord are my strength and you Lord are my redeemer. I thank you Lord for redeeming me from a life of destruction, I thank you Lord for bringing me out of darkness and allowing me to walk in your great and wonderful light. I thank you Lord for the privilege to pray thank you for your gift of prayer.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen