Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Why the "BREAD" of Life?

Got some ideas here why Jesus referred to Himself as the BREAD of LIFE, from A W Pink:

Why “BREAD” of Life?

  1. Its Necessary- First in the pyramid. Grains affect our hearts, digestive track, blood pressure, weight, diabetes and cancer. (USDA says so). Jesus is necessary to eternal life!
  2. Its universal-every society eats some sort of bread. Tortillas, white bread, corn bread, rice cakes, pita, even crepes! Jesus is the universal source of life in God.
  3. Daily-bread needs to be eaten daily for top benefits. Jesus should be partaken of daily for spiritual beneficence.
  4. Satisfying-Bread fills you. Three ounces (rda) begins the sense of food in the stomach and the reduction of hunger. Jesus alone is satisfying. Once the person knows Christ he will never thirst or hunger for Him again. He will hunger and thirst for Christ’s righteousness however.
  5. It’s the result of threshing-the grains: corn, rice, wheat, etc. are separated from their source, the stem and root. They are beaten, ground, and cooked to make bread. Jesus was threshed on the cross. Separated from His source, he was beaten, worn down, and endured the wrath of God to become our bread of life!

Wait on God...and stay busy

Years ago, as I was laying on my couch (actually it was a bedroll on the floor of the living room that we called a couch it the early days of my marriage while still in Bible College) and bemoaning the darkness in my soul and the dryness of my spirit. I was about to chuck it all, drop out of school move home to beloved Texas and get a regular job. When God spoke to me for the first time in months. ( Or the first time I heard Him in months.) And said, "Don't doubt in the darkness what I showed you in the light." In other words, keep the faith, you know the goal I called you to, -just do it. (I used the phrase before NIKE.)
Fast forward to 2002. Three years in a pastoral position, my second, and I felt burned out and bone dry. I went to my mentor, Dr. Stephen Washburn, and told him and was ready to find out what I was doing wrong.
He said...in effect..."wow, it took you three years to get here? I get there every 12 to 18 months." Then he said what happens to him is he scrapes the bottom of the barrel for a while before he realizes the barrel is empty.
He said, extra prayer doesn't help...though it doesn't hurt either. Extra Bible reading, extra WHATEVER. You just have to wait on God. Scale back a little where you need to. Do the things that feed you. (Which according to Jesus was doing the will of the father) and wait on God. Don't do anything drastic during this time, be on your guard against temptation, and wait.

I hated that!
I was glad he knew how I felt.
But I hate to wait. I'll drive 5 miles out of the way to avoid a traffic jam.
But God, you know the one...the one who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead...He really wants us to wait. Oh, and do His will.
But I don't know about you....
;-)