I Need Bread
Thank You, Father, for Your watch care in our travels back and forth to Columbus yesterday through storms and heavy traffic. We may not have seen it take place but surely Your hand was there keeping us from harm. You are our provider and our protector!
Revelation 2:17 (<<click green)
Throughout Your word, Lord, You have sustained us. Early on in the Israelites journey after their bondage in Egypt, You provided bread from heaven – manna (It always makes me smile to think what this word means in Hebrew, the ancient language of the Israelites It literally means, “What is it?”). What they needed in their 40 years of wandering (because of their disobedience) You provided manna, bread from heaven – never too little, never too much.
Later, You were born amongst us to live Your life amongst us. While teaching as an adult some called for a miraculous sign as proof that You were who You claimed to be and manna was brought up. (John 6:30-59) Some highlights from this interaction are,
“My Father…offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” vs. 32-33
[You] replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.” vs. 35, 38-39
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever… vs. 47-51
As believers, we can partake of “bread of heaven” in the here and now. If we are “victorious” in living our lives here for You, we will be given “some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven.” (Revelation 2:17)
Lord, thank You for providing Yourself – sacrificing Yourself – so that I may be victorious. You are truly my sustainer and provider. Praise Your holy name!
July 11th, Tues, 6:16 am
Rain on Us All
As I look out this morning as the day is just beginning, it has started to rain. Father, the day is just beginning and it is not bright, though the sun is up. In the early light, everything is a dark green – the grass in the front yard, the cattails across the road creating a border to the soybeans and then corn behind them and then the line of trees forming the backdrop under a cloud laden sky.
And it continues to rain, beating down on the highway, pelting the bay window – nothing is missed, everything is wet. Lord, You have brought to mind this morning a passage from the Gospel of Matthew – a portion of Your Sermon on the Mount – and You spoke of rain.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 (emphasis mine)
Lord, You equally bless us all –no one is missed, everyone gets wet – and You are not just speaking of rain here. You are speaking of how you feel in regards to us all. You, in all Your holiness and perfection, choose to love us in all of our sin and imperfection. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that You are “patient…not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Lord, Your word is clear. As I read the passage from Matthew again I cannot miss it – no further explanation is needed– we are called to love and pray for our enemies. Help me, Lord, help me to be like You. Amen.
July 10th, Mon, 6:31 am
No Wedges
Father, I am grateful that I have You in my life. You are loving, correcting, forgiving, supporting, patient, and kind. That list could go on and on. You are there for me in absolutely every aspect of my life. I never have to seek You out for You are always with me. I am truly blessed!
Revelation 2:12-16 (<<click green)
This passage, Lord, has a timely message for all believers not just when it was written but throughout every age. The world offers so many enticements and we are tempted to experience every one of them. Those around us, who are of the world, go on and on about how wonderful and fulfilling they all are but…it is a lie.
The Apostle John states in 1 John 2:15-17,
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you… For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Lord, You said that the city of Pergamum was a “city where Satan has his throne.” The city was the center of worship for not just one but four “gods” and was full of all kinds of enticements. Like our world, one could probably not turn a single corner without finding some kind of lure that would lead them away from You, Lord.
You have called us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39) but that does not mean we are to do what they do. We are to love them in spite of their actions…the same as You do for us.
Lord, help me to stand up against the enticements that this world offers and to see them for what they are…empty…and deadly – for they just want to drive a wedge between You and me. Enable me to remain faithful to You. Only with Your help can I succeed. Amen.
July 9th, Sun, 6:23 am
Life…but a Prelude to Eternity
Good evening, Father. Sleeping in a little this morning makes for a time of writing tonight. Thank You for Your guiding hand in all that was accomplished today – most everything is ready for Sunday. Thank You, too, for bringing everything together to be able to enjoy a drum and bugle corps rehearsal at the local football stadium tonight. It was a lot of fun!
Revelation 2:10-11 (<<click green)
Lord, reading through this verse again makes me think of death. Many in our world have this mindset that death is the end. We have to live this life to the fullest because it’s the only one we get. But the older I get and the more time I spend with You, I realize that this life is but a prelude and a short one at that.
Death…it is inevitable. We cannot avoid it. Most of us will not know when it will arrive but we know it undoubtedly will. And though we know these things, will we be ready? Verse 10 states that “…if [we] remain faithful even when facing death, [You] will give [us] the crown of life.”
Verse 11 then goes on to say that, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”
What is this “second death”? It is an eternal separation from God.
Each person will have their chance to accept Your generous offer of forgiveness. Scripture seems pretty clear that our opportunity to do so lies in this lifetime alone. Hebrews 9:27 states that “each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…” Then we will stand before You. We will have no other choice. Romans 14:11 states, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”
Lord, may I be diligent in declaring Your Word to those in my realm of influence. Time is short. Our prelude to eternity will only last so long. And then we all will stand before You and we all will be called upon to give an answer of what we did with You. Enable me to be faithful to the end of my days. Amen.
July 6th, Thurs, 9:35 am
Use…Me
Father, thank You for a good night’s sleep. May whatever this day holds be impacted by You. May I remain faithful to Your calling in everything I say and do. Amen.
Lord, this morning I got no further than my opening prayer. When I read some more of Revelation 2 and pondered it – I went down too many rabbit holes and nothing came together. So here I sit, some 16 hours later.
I am grateful that I was able to make good headway in preparing Sunday’s sermon and other particulars for the worship service. I realize that I am stating the obvious, but I could in no way, shape or form begin to do anything of benefit to anyone, without You. You are why I am able to do what I do – You are the focus and the inspiration. You are what motivates me.
I pray that I am the messenger the You need for the hour. It is unsettling to think that people would follow me. If they do follow me, I wholeheartedly pray that it is because I am following You. I am fallible. I am weak. I stumble. I fall. Isaiah’s exclamation comes to mind,
“It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Isaiah 6:5
And yet…You, the Holy Sovereign of all that is and ever will be, You choose to use…me. You can use anyone who gives themselves over to You and Your direction over our lives.
May a burning coal from Your altar touch my lips as well (Isaiah 6:6-7) and may my “guilt [be] removed, and [my] sins [be] forgiven.” May I be the man that can be used in whatever capacity that You need. Amen.
July 5th, Wed, 6:38 am