Take the Bread Always

I am so glad the church we are members that we observe the LORD’s Supper each week. At the end of each service on Sundays, regardless of who brings the message, we share in the taking of the bread and cup. The weekly reminder that we are not alone and have our brothers and sisters in Christ as one body as we undertake the next week of what comes from this world.

Growing up it was customary to observe the LORD’s Supper once a quarter and for the longest time, I believed that was the way it was supposed to be. I had fallen into legalism and process and procedure as opposed to the worship of Christ and following His Word.

“²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV)

There it is from Jesus Himself. We are to proclaim Him at all times. It only makes sense that we should observe Him at all times. Too often, I do believe that we fall into the habit of things and are not living in the moment as the LORD has outlined for us to do. I have to remember that the LORD is here always and I have to acknowledge Him as such. I have to observe His place in my life daily and always to ensure that I am working to be in line with His will for my life and the world around me. In order for that to happen, I have to remember the next two verses in the passage that are vital to the whole.

“²⁷Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” – 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 (ESV)

When I look at the above verses, I am compelled to read them in reverse order, 28 then 27. I have to remember that yes, I take of the bread daily and always, yet I do need to first examine myself and “come clean” with the LORD before taking. I have to ensure that I have given all of me to the LORD and remember that I am here to do His will and not my own. I am of the body of Christ and therefore am here for His workmanship.

It is easy to fall into the traps of doing things because that is the way they are done. I see it too often in the corporate world. I have to remember that the important thing is really to ensure that I am doing things with the LORD’s Will in mind and not my own. The way for that to be done is to daily and always examine myself and the direction I am going and only when I have remembered and committed to doing the Will of God, I take of the body of Christ and proceed with His work and movement toward the end result of Christ which is the spreading of the gospel.

What is your approach to the taking of the body of Christ? Are you falling into the process and/or procedure that you are told? What if you were to take of the body of Christ daily and always to remind you, as in scripture, of the way of the LORD?

One Bread for One Body

“²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (ESV)

In the above I have written as relates to the taking of the Lord’s Supper. I have only referenced the taking of the bread (as I am studying the word “bread”), although the taking of the cup also applies here. Notice that the bread starts as one part and is broken into being parts of the whole. I have to remember that the bread of Christ is one just as we the body of Christ are one.

“¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (ESV)

I believe that it is easy to forget that we are one body of Christ and that we are all working to the same goal of spreading the gospel for the LORD and bringing glory to Him. We are one in doing so. We may be only single parts carrying out the work of Christ, yet we are working toward the same.

It is my responsibility to work with, not against my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have to help them to carry out the will of God and pick them up when they are weak and celebrate them when they are strong. I have to be a part of the whole and come together as one in the fight against the evil one.

We are one in Christ!!!

What is your view of those around you? Are you separate from others and going it alone? What if we progressed as we should as one body of Christ in our work toward fulfilling His will in this world and the next?

Break Bread with Believers

“⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” – Acts 2:42 (ESV)

This morning I was reminded of the need to break bread with fellow believers. Yes, Jesus ate with sinners as we should as well, but, Jesus also ate and was in regular constant fellowship with His disciples, friends, and family, all of whom were believers and followers of His.

I find it interesting, and I am one of those, that we tend to fellowship with other believers in the church atmosphere. Yes, we may get together with other believers outside of church, yet to me there seems to be a camaraderie in Christ that may be missing. It seems to me that there is less work being done for the glory of God when we get together, and more of the get together and enjoy the world. Shouldn’t we be getting together for the advancement of the gospel.

“⁴³And awed came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:43-47 (ESV)

It may just be me in thinking that we are more focused on ourselves and our joy and not on the advancement of the gospel. That is okay as I am here to learn and apply that learning to my own life and not judge others. I would be remiss if I did not say what I see and question.

No, not every interaction with others should begin and end with the gospel. But why could it not. I do believe that I should be wearing my salvation on my sleeve for everyone to see. There should not be a question as to my relationship with Christ and how that relationship impacts me and those around me. Every time I give my mission statement to others, I am hesitant to give the last few words, “as an example of Christ’s Love.” Yet, even in hesitation, I give them anyway to demonstrate where my mission comes from.

I have to remember that fellowship is great, yet fellowship with fellow believers is even greater. As Luke writes in the verses above, we should be in fellowship with others, not just as we go to church, but always and use that fellowship to demonstrate the glory of God and in advancement of His Kingdom in Heaven.

Who is it that you spend the vast majority of your time with? Are you looking to be with the sinners always? What if you focused on your relationship with God and were in fellowship with other believers as you continue to advance the gospel together?

Why do We Always Expect Things Literal

As a man, I expect that things are as they are stated. I tend to believe things to be the way they are there should be no interpretation. I should simply be able to get on with things and know that they are so. This is not lost in the LORD and He knows that He has to explain things so that I am able to understand.

I think of the whole Jesus is the bread of life thing. There was the woman at the well as well as the people of Capernaum as I read this morning in John. I think of the amount of time that Jesus spent explaining to others so that they would understand and then look at myself and see the same in me to a degree. Jesus spoke with the woman at the well and gave her the ins and outs of who He was and she believed. He spoke in the synagogue at Capernaum and the people eventually understood. He did not shy away from telling those who needed to know.

For me, I still read and work to understand God’s Word daily. I am here right now, reading the same verses and passages that I did a time ago. I want to know how to not be so literal. I want to understand and not just gather the information. I have to work through the literal and into that which God wants me to know and then carry that understanding to others who are in need of understanding themselves.

“²⁵When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ ²⁶Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’ ³⁵Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” – John 6:25-27 & 35 (ESV)

I have to get past the guessing and “read” what it is that God would have me know. I have to listen and not just hear. I have to dig for that which He would have me know and not just expect that it will be learned by my shear exposure.

Jesus is the bread of life in that He provides all that I could ever need. And that is the key, “need”. Too often I believe that it is hard to understand as I am seeking what I want and not what is needed. It is the wants and desires that get in the way of the understanding in that I am seeking my will and not the will of God. God’s will is in the provision for needs and I have to remember to be content with that. When I am, God will bless me with more at His discretion and not my own. I need that which will give me the chance to survive and do the will of God and not that which gets me fattened on the desires of the world. Jesus is the bread of “life”, not the bread of monetary gain.

Yes, God will provide actual bread as He did for the Israelite people in the wilderness. When we look at it for what it was, God only provided for the immediate need and not for the storehouses. He provided life as long as it was needed according to His plan.

I have to remember to look past the literal and understand the bread that God is providing in the moment. I have to look to understand that when God provides, He does so for my needs, regardless of what those might be at the time. He does not generally provide for my gains to be more monetarily, but for my gains in His kingdom to come.

What are your views of the bread of life? Are you looking to literal bread that God provides and how somehow that is going to sustain you throughout your life? What if you looked to God to provide for your immediate needs and that as the bread of life, He meets those needs where they are?

God Provides the Bread We Need

When Jesus teaches us to pray as in Luke’s account, He adds the idea of asking for needs.

“³Give us each day our daily bread,…⁵And he said to them, ‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”;’” — Luke 11:3 & 5 (ESV)

Clearly, we should be asking for our needs to be met, and notice as Jesus says, ask for the “daily bread” and not enough to store up for later. I have to remember that God will provide that which is needed in the moment and I will then move on to the next moment where I will rely on God to provide in that moment. In verses 5-6 above, Jesus is showing that we should ask when we need. As noted in the rest of the lesson in this passage, the friend will provide what he can regardless of the time or circumstance.

“¹³If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13 (ESV)

Now, if a friend will provide the basic need in the moment, what more will God provide. As God is more vested in me than just my friend and God is with me always. I have to remember that when there is a need I have, I should ask God to fill it. I have to remember that God will not allow for me to go without my needs and will fill them in the moment, every time.

“²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” – Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)

Knowing that I have all that I need and will always have all that I need, gives me the chance to simply get on with things. When I find myself in need, I simply need to ask and allow God to fill the need. I have to remember that His filling of my need may not be what I “want” rather He will fill it with what I “need”. I have to remember contentment in all that God provides and be fully grateful for those provisions.

What are your expectations of fulfillment of you needs? Are you just expecting God to give you all you want for now and the future? What if you remembered that you need to ask for your needs to be met and that will be in the moment and not for the storing up for later?

Jesus was Man and Relied on God

This morning I am reading Luke’s account of Jesus and His temptations in the wilderness by the devil. Where the events are the same, the take brought more to my thinking. Matthew recounted the event that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and where Luke follows the timing, he uses a different take.

“¹And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.” – Luke 4:1-2 (ESV)

Luke indicates that Jesus was “hungry”. I don’t know about you, but if I had been fasting for 40 days, I would certainly be hungry. I believe that here Luke really tells us of the humanity of Jesus, and he shows more to the state Jesus was in to be tempted by the devil. I know that it would have been difficult for me to not use my God given power to feed myself.

Jesus is shown to be fully man here. And He demonstrates His full reliance on the Father for with His statement to the devil when tempted with turning stone into bread.

“³The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ ⁴And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”’” – Luke 4:3-4 (ESV)

And this is where Luke ends that temptation in recall to you and me. This to me is important in that Jesus leaves it here. He allows the devil to stew in the statement and get on with things. Jesus allowed God to just protect Him from the evil. The devil I am sure was like, “what, no preaching at me” and I can see him to start with the frustration of knowing that he did not have much of a chance after that.

The lesson for me that I am taking away is that I can just keep things simple and allow God to do His work in my life and protect me from all that comes my way. The devil is going to come after me and do so when I am the weakest. I have to do as Jesus did and rely on God, knowing that He will not let me perish to the devil. He will allow me to be tempted and only awaits for my reliance on Him and He will deal with it on my behalf, just as He did with Jesus there in the wilderness.

I am man and Jesus was as well. I have the example of how to proceed in this world. I have to rely on God and keep things simple on my end. The Father will not let me perish and will guard me against the evil that comes.

What approach are you taking? Are you out there doing more than you need to do in the fight against the evil one? What if you just kept it simple and relied on God to do the work to protect and fight against the evil one?

By God’s Word Not Bread

God’s Word is more than enough for my life to proceed in this world. I only need His Word and that which He provides for me.

“⁴But he answered, ‘It is written,

“Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’”

— Matthew 4:4 (ESV)

Here we find Jesus being tempted by the devil. Jesus lets the devil know in no uncertain terms that bread of the world is not enough to live by and that it is the Word of God that we should be hanging on.

I know, but we need nourishment for our bodies. I agree, but that is not what is needed for us to truly live. Living is doing the work of the LORD and not eating a meal. Last night in my home we had a wonderful steak and some potatoes and green beans and honeydew melon for dinner and topped it off with some homemade banana pudding. It was delicious and a wonderful fulfilling meal. Yet, this morning I am hungry again. I have to decide what to have to eat and locate it and cook it. So my living was only for a moment.

Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well and offered her living water.

“¹³Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” – John 4:13-14 (ESV)

Jesus made it clear to the woman that we cannot live on the nourishment of the world and that even when received it is only for a short while and we will again be looking for more. Yet with the Word of God, we only need to turn back to Him and we will receive. I only need to pray to the LORD and He will hear me and provide for me.

Now I am not saying that we do not need the nourishment for our bodies, because I do need to be physically well. The thing that I am saying is that it is not the physical bread that gets me through and provides for my ability to serve the LORD and do His will. It is the love, direction, comfort, and guidance that gets me through. He will provide the physical bread as He did for the Israelite people in the wilderness and for Himself and the disciples as they traveled in ministry. I have to look to Him for all and know that when doing so, I will never go hungry for His guidance nor for the food to eat.

What bread are you looking for daily? Are you in constant lookout for the next meal? What if instead, you were to be on the lookout for the LORD and His will and allow Him to provide all that you will need in accomplishing His work?

Remember the Bread God Gives

“³⁹He spread a cloud for a covering,

and fire to give light by night.

⁴⁰They asked, and he brought quail,

and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

it flowed through the desert like a river.

⁴²For he remembered his holy promise,

and Abraham, his servant.”

— Psalm 105:39-42 (ESV)

There are a lot of things that I have been angry with the LORD over. In fact, I feel as though He and I have been at odds for a good long while. The thing is, even with that thought, there is no doubt in my mind that He loves me and provides for me at all times. I may not be excited with that which He provides (I wanted steak and He provides chicken), yet I am content with His provision.

I served as a music minister with a pastor and in our weekly trip to the church where we served, he and I would have great conversation. In one instance he told me of a time when he was less than obedient to his mother’s requests and she asked him to get a switch. In his telling of the story she switched him 30 times, after he started counting. But also in his words and the part that makes the difference, “There was no doubt in my mind that my mother loved me”.

God loves me and provides for me. No matter how much I suffer, there is no doubt that He loves me and provides for me. I have to remember the bread He provides. All of the bread. The chicken, the old car, the house, the job, the family, the church, the community, and yes, the actual bread.

There will always be the ups and downs in my communication with God and frankly, I will get angry with Him as He will get angry with me. But the anger does not change the fact that He loves me and provides for me. I have to remember that He provides the bread for my existence and that I should be praising Him for it.

What bread is the LORD providing for you? Are you thankful for the bread or angry that you did not get what you wanted? What if you were to accept the gift of provision, the bread from the LORD and had no doubt in your mind of His love for you?

Careful What Asked For

God provides, and that is not up for debate. Yes, He even provides when we complain as He hears and wants to ensure that we are taken care of and that we know that it is He who provides so that we have the opportunity to bring glory to Him.

“¹⁸They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

¹⁹They spoke against God, saying,

‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

²⁰He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?’

²¹Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;

a fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel,

²²because they did not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power.

²³Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven,

²⁴and he rained down on them manna to eat

and gave them the grain of heaven.”

— Psalm 78:18-24 (ESV)

Even with the testing of and complaining to the LORD, He still gives to His people as He has promised to care for us. Yet, the LORD is also teaching us in every moment. Notice that the LORD was still angry with the people and while he did provide for them, he did so in a teaching way as we see in the later verses of the passage.

“³⁰But before they had satisfied their craving,

while the food was still in their mouths,

³¹the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed the strongest of them

and laid low the young men of Israel.”

— Psalm 78:30-31 (ESV)

God gave the people what they wanted and then gave them the lesson that what they want was not what they needed. There was the sense of entitlement and greed that had come over the people of Israel and God worked to ensure that there greed was dealt with according to His plan.

The LORD provides for our needs and that is what we should be asking for Him to fulfill. My needs are not generally in line with my wants. My wants will wander into the world of desires and those desires will be the products of my greed beyond what is required for survival. The bread given from the LORD is that which is to sustain me in this world. Sustenance is vastly different than my desires.

God is the provider for our needs and as He is a compassionate God, He will also bless me with my wants from time to time. Those are just that, blessings that are at the will of the LORD and not at the continued want of me. I have to be sure that I am asking for that which is needed to survive and know that through my obedience, God will provide and bless me where He sees fit and not where I do. Me asking continually for my wants as the Israelite people did, will only anger the LORD and then I am subject to His wrath.

What are you asking from the LORD? Are you working through to be given the items of your desire? What if you were to petition the LORD for your true needs and allowed Him the opportunity to bless you with more than you require as opposed to asking continually for those wants?

Bread Yes, But Not Only

“³And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” – Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)

I have known that “man does not live by bread alone” for a good portion of my life. It is important to have sustenance for the body to be able to make it through the physical demands that are presented. Yet, where the body needs the nourishment, the mind and soul are in need as well and that will come from another place other than the food we eat. Frankly, there is always food available. Yes, it may not be from a five star restaurant, and may be found on the streets, but the food can be found for the physical nourishment. Even the Israelite people in the wilderness were hungry and the LORD provided bread from heaven. I have to remember to look to the LORD for all that I am in need of and not just the food for the nourishment of the body.

“⁴Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.” – Deuteronomy 8:4 (ESV)

The Israelite people in the forty years out in the wilderness were fully provided for by the LORD and not just the food needed. See above how they did not experience need for clothing or healthcare. God ensured that they were able to make it with what they had and He provided for all that time. I don’t see my shoes or clothing making it forty years wearing them day in and day out.

I will not make it on just the bread provided for my physical body, and there is no use worrying about it as it will be taken care of by God.

“³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:31-34 (ESV)

Jesus stated the above in His “Sermon on the Mount”. He made sure that the people knew that whatever they need shall be provided for by God and our job is simply to do the work of God knowing he will provide. John the Baptist, lived in the wilderness and was provided for by God, maybe not the way we would have liked to be provided for, but John was content.

“⁴Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” – Matthew 3:4 (ESV)

We worry too much about what and were we will eat. It is important to remember that God will provide for the physical nourishment. But we should also know that God will provide for all of our needs, and it is our job to follow Him to realize those provisions wherever they may come from.

What stock are you placing in the provision of God? Are you focused on what you will have for the physical nourishment only? What if you realized that God will provide for all of your needs and that you cannot live by bread alone?