Bread

Jan. 6

The Transformed Life; Lesson 5

Read: Deut 8:3, Matt 4:4, John 6

Bread

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4)

The spirit of a person is fed by the WORD OF GOD the same way that the body of a person is fed by food. Your physical body will not grow healthy or strong if you are not eating or if you are eating things that are toxic / not healthy. We understand this idea clearly. When we are hungry… we eat. When we are thirsty… we drink. If we are tired and weak - but have not eaten - we know to seek our nourishment. Why is it that we forget these things when it comes to the most central and crucial part of who we are… our spirit?

The spirit feeds on the word of God, and cannot live without it. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” You cannot be truly healthy… you can’t really “live” without feasting on the word of God. To rephrase what I read form another pastor once: why do we feed our bodies three solid meals a day… and only give our spirits an occasional snack? No wonder we are weak! No wonder our spirits are not fueled, energized, and ready to go. We have “skinny” spirits that never eat… instead of ones that are robust and strong. Imagine asking your physical body to carry weight and travel on a journey without feeding it! Do we expect our spirit to walk with us on the journey of life without any nourishment… without any food or water? Think of your natural friendships. If I am going to meet my friend Ed, there is a very necessary level of basic energy and “awareness” that I need to engage with him … to actually be a friend. If we are going to do some activity together - such as hike or hunt - I will eat a meal to fuel my body for that activity. If I don’t, then I will lack energy and what is needed to be a great friend on that hike or hunt! If you want your spirit to engage in relationship with the Holy Spirit… you need to feed it… you need to feed yourself the word of God before you are really going to have a fullest friendship / relationship possible with the Holy Spirit. But let’s be honest and take it a step further… more often than not, what we do with our friends is MEET EACH OTHER TO SHARE A MEAL. Relationships are forged by sharing meals… eating with one another. When was the last time your spirit met the Holy Spirit to share a meal together? What was at the table? … The “bread and wine” of Jesus’ body? The “living water” or the “bread of life” that the scriptures talk about? The “fruit salad” that the Holy Spirit brings? Our spirits need to share a meal of the bread of life… the word of God… with the Holy Spirit.

If we starve our spirits of the food they need and the relationship with the Holy Spirit that they rely on, we will remain weak, frail, and NOT be able to travel the journey of life with any vitality. We are hindered in our work for the King - Jesus - when we are malnourished and sick. If we are feeding our spirits “junk food”… garbage … then they will be “sick” and unhealthy. In John 6 Jesus declares, ““I am the bread that came down from heaven… (again) I am the bread of LIFE; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” In John 1 we see that Jesus is the “Word of God”, this very same “word of God” has come to us that our spirits hunger for! Are you hungry? DO you feel weak? Do you lack energy? What have you been eating? DO you need to “share a meal” between you, the Holy Spirit, and a close friend? Have you “eaten” today? “Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one that trusts in him.” Love you guys! - JDP