Month: August 2024

“For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:33-35

Bread from Heaven

In some cultures, people eat rice every day and nearly every meal. In those cultures, if you don’t have rice—you will probably starve.

In the culture where Jesus was born, people ate bread every day and nearly every meal. In that culture, if you didn’t have bread—you would probably starve. When the people of Jesus’ culture were wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land, God provided them with daily manna, calling it bread from heaven.

When Jesus called himself the bread of life, he was making some profound statements. He was saying that he came from heaven, like manna. People were supposed to realize that they needed him every day, and what he said was the most nourishing thing that people could possibly hear.

It’s the same today in every culture. Without Jesus, people starve spiritually. With him, people gain eternal life. While we talk through the wilderness of this world and head toward the Promised Land of heaven, God is providing us everything we need in the person of Jesus. He is the Bread of Life.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for satisfying us so we will never be hungry or thirsty again. Amen.

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:26-29

Work That Is No Work at All

Religions made up by human beings always include something for a person to do in order to advance to the next level or earn salvation. It’s just a natural way to think about life improvements. Do the right thing, and you’ll be rewarded.

So when Jesus talks about working for food that endures to eternal life, the people listening to him understand him to be revealing some secret set of works that might lead to salvation. They ask Jesus to explain what work God requires.

Jesus corrects their misunderstanding. He invites them simply to believe in him. He identifies himself as the Son of Man who will accomplish everything necessary for salvation. He explains that the miracles he performs are simply to validate that he is the Savior, the one whom God the Father sent.

Do you want to go to heaven? Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. When you understand that a person is not rescued from God’s punishment by doing good works but by faith in Jesus Christ, you’ll realize that the work of God is no work for you at all.

Prayer:
Lord, keep me from trusting my own works for salvation. Lead me to instead trust in my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:12,13

The Current Temptation

It is a great comfort to know that you will not be tempted beyond what you can bear. When temptations seem so common and powerful, it is good to know that God will provide a way out.

In the section before our Bible verses today, the apostle Paul recalled how the ancient Israelites were tempted to grumble about their life circumstances, to eat and drink until they were out of control, and to commit sexual immorality, all while having the miraculous presence of God among them.

You may feel the same temptations. How will God provide a way out for you? He reminds you of his special presence in your life. When you are baptized, God has chosen you to be a member of his family. When you take the Lord’s Supper, he has been present with you in a miraculous way for the forgiveness of your sins.

Every time you hear the words of the Bible, God is providing his special presence for you, and he intends to do that into eternity. The current temptation is to pay attention to immediate things and forget about what is eternal. Don’t fall into that trap. Instead, rejoice in God’s presence in your life. That’s your way out!

Prayer:
Stay with me, Lord, and provide a way out of every temptation, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of the manna until morning.” However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’” So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.
Exodus 16:19-24

The Lord Provides for Us While We Rest

Since my heart surgery, I have taken a daily walk on a treadmill. The doctor told me it was a good idea, and it seemed like a healthy habit to me. But one day a week, I refuse to use the treadmill. I did not get this idea from the health experts who recommend taking at least one day off from a daily workout routine each week. I got the idea from the way that the Lord taught the Israelites that he was the one who provided their daily bread.

Six days a week, the Lord provided manna. On those days, the manna spoiled if kept overnight. But on the seventh day, the Sabbath day, the Lord did not provide manna. The manna gathered the day before, on the sixth day, did not spoil overnight. It was still good on the seventh day.

The Lord provides us with food, even on the days we rest. The Lord provides us with health, even on the days we rest. Resting each week is a good way to acknowledge that the Lord provides us with all our blessings. Our Lord Jesus has done all the work that needs to be done.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for all gifts of life and health and rest through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’” The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
Exodus 16:15-18

The Lord Provides for Us While We Work

I know a one-year-old who helps her daddy in the yard. When he mows the grass, she gets out her plastic toy mower and does the same. When he weeds the garden, she picks up the pulled weeds and puts them in and out of the bucket. When he harvests the berries, she harvests and eats them too. She takes great delight in helping. Her daddy is doing the work.

When the Israelites needed food while wandering in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land, God provided a type of bread from heaven. In the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. The Israelites had not seen it before, and the words they spoke to ask what it was sounded like—manna—which is how it got its name.

God gave them work to do, gathering the manna. But to demonstrate that he was actually the one doing the work, God made sure that no matter how much they gathered, they had just enough.

When we pray, “Give us our daily bread,” we acknowledge that God blesses us with everything we need for our bodily welfare on the way to the Promised Land. Sometimes, we are tempted to think that we earn those things by our work, but then we realize that those things are really blessings from God. Our work is something that God provides to keep us busy while he blesses us.

Prayer:
Our Father, give us today our daily bread, and let us all be clothed and fed. Amen.

If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12

Watch Your Footing

In the book The 19th Hole, author Carol Mann recounts how golf legend Arnold Palmer will never forget the day he lost his footing.

It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters Tournament. Palmer had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a satisfying tee shot. As he approached the ball, he saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned Palmer over, stuck out his hand, and congratulated him for the win he was about to secure.

Palmer later said that as soon as he shook his friend’s hand, he knew he was in trouble. After that congratulatory handshake, he lost his mental footing. He hit his ball into a sand trap. Then he put it over the edge of the green. Then he missed a putt. He lost the Masters.

For Christians, the temptation can be strong to assume that we can coast through our Christian lives: We know the Bible stories. We attend church more often than not. We’re on friendly terms with the pastor. After a while, our idea of Christianity can begin to resemble our life insurance policy. It’s nice to know it’s in our filing cabinet if we need it; otherwise, we don’t give it much thought.

And that’s when we can lose our footing.

Christianity is not some cultural formality through which we coast. Nor is it some life insurance document we store away for emergencies. Christianity is about our relationship with the One who has rescued us from the guilt of our sin.

Don’t lose your footing. Stay close to Jesus.

Prayer:
Forgive me, Lord, for all the times I have forgotten how I need you every moment of my life. Empower me to stand in you alone. Amen.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:18

Rescued From Evil

The apostle Paul was in prison again. This time, it would be his last. Arrested, tried, and convicted before the tribunal of Nero, he had been condemned to death. Paul didn’t despair, however, because his confidence rested in the grace and power of God to rescue him.

Jesus predicted that believers would be harassed and helpless in this sinful world. They would be persecuted by those who misuse power and assaulted by lies and deceptions. The devil will use people and ideas for his purposes. He will ally himself with all kinds of evil and employ it to turn people away from Jesus to forfeit the gift of heaven!

But the devil, with his evil work, has been defeated by Jesus. Speaking about his death on the cross, the Savior declared: “Now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31). Jesus crushed the devil’s power when he paid for the guilt of the sins of the world by his innocent death. Though the devil still strives to accomplish his evil purposes, trusting in Jesus, we are assured that our Lord will rescue us from every one of those evil attacks.

And finally, Jesus will bring us to his heavenly kingdom where no evil can ever harm us again! We will be permanently and perfectly rescued from the devil and his evil work.

Like Paul, we are certain that our Lord will faithfully fulfill his word to rescue us from every evil attack and bring us safely into his heavenly kingdom. Confident in his grace and power, we proclaim praises to our eternal King: “To him be glory forever and ever!”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, fill my heart with the certainty of deliverance from every work of evil, and fill my heart with words of praise and glory to you, my Savior and King. Amen.

As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Mark 6:54-56

Can Jesus Help Me?

You have a rare disease. It is eating away at your body and destroying your health. Every day, you are a little bit weaker.

And then you hear that there is a miracle cure. It is hard to obtain and requires a flight to a different country. It will likely be of great cost. Do you say, “Forget it. It’s not worth it. I will accept feeling terrible and getting more sick every day.” Or do you seek the cure?

Once Jesus and the disciples land across the Sea of Galilee, people recognize him. The sick and dying are carried on mats to be placed in front of Jesus. The afflicted were desperate for even a touch of the edge of his cloak as he walked by. And they were healed.

The truth is, I do have a terrible disease. I am a carrier of it. Eventually, this disease will take my life. No pills can touch it, and no therapy will control it. This disease will end in my death. You carry it, too. It is the disease of sin.

But there is a cure for this disease. It is absolutely free. No doctor needs to prescribe it, and no expensive pills need to be purchased. In fact, you don’t even need to go to the pharmacist to pick up the prescription. The Healer brings it to you. All it takes is his touch.

The one who healed the bodies in the markets also heals souls for eternity. His blood that was shed cleanses you. His obedient life purifies you. One day, we will experience in the joy of heaven what it really means to be healthy and alive. Until that day, trust his cure.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for taking my ills upon yourself. Strengthen me to serve you in the blessing of this life you have given me. Amen.

Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
Mark 6:51,52

Why Are You So Surprised?

The disciples had just been part of a miracle. Including women and children, Jesus had fed an estimated total of ten to fifteen thousand people with five small barley loaves and two small fish. He had given the loaves and fish to the disciples, and they had distributed that food to all the people and kept sharing until everyone had eaten their fill. And then his disciples even gathered up twelve baskets full of leftovers.

Somehow, that was not enough. It was not enough to convince the disciples that Jesus truly was the Son of God. It did not convince them that Jesus had supernatural power over all creation. So when Jesus walked on the water to them and then calmed the winds they had been fighting, they were amazed.

The Gospel writer Mark lets us know that if they had truly understood what Jesus did in the first miracle, the second would have been easy for them to see. They had not rejected Jesus. They just couldn’t fully see who he was.

Do we have problems seeing Jesus for who he is? Do we forget his power? Do we dismiss his love?

But the greatest miracle of all that day was not the feeding of the 5,000 or walking on the water. The greatest miracle was that Jesus was willing to climb in the boat with his disciples.

Because Jesus would have every reason to be frustrated by their unwillingness to trust him and just leave them to their problems. But he didn’t. He climbed in with them.

Remember that! Jesus was willing to come to this frustrated world. He is not a God who merely hovers over us and shakes his head in frustration or sadness—either unwilling or unable to help. He took on our flesh. He gave himself for our sins. He promises that he will be with us always.

And when we face our doubts and fears—when we feel overwhelmed with sadness or crushed with guilt—remember the God you have. He climbs into the boat with us.

Prayer:
Jesus, help me to always see your amazing love. Amen.