Our Daily Bread
Jesus is a type of Daily Bread as revealed
throughout the Scriptures. Just as bread is necessary to sustain physical life
and provide nourishment to thrive, we require the Life of Christ for spiritual
life and daily living. Just as we need food daily for our bodies to operate, we
need daily drawing on the Life of Christ through communion with Him in order
remain spiritually active. It would be foolish for a person to eat a satisfying
meal and then not eat the rest of the year, the rest of their life or even the
rest of the week because they think they have consumed enough food. This is how
ignorant it is for the man or woman who tastes of the things of God in church
on a Sunday morning or Christmas Eve service or at a memorable altar call but
then goes on with their life without spending time with Jesus and in fellowship
of a local body because they think those few encounters were sufficient.
We are as dependent on Jesus for our spiritual life as a man is reliant on food and water for living. There are many malnourished Christians today. A malnourished individual has significant weight and muscle loss, fatigue, dizziness, organ inefficiency and frail bones with the possibility of death by starvation. In the same way, people without a regular intake of God’s word and communion with the Father and other believers become spiritually frail, tired and weak with the danger of dying spiritually.
Not only is eating food needed for life but it is a pleasurable experience. If you have ever watched a cooking show or talked to a “foodie”, the way they describe a recipe, ingredient or dish makes you salivate! They go into explicit detail about the flavor and experience when trying a new item. The human mouth has taste buds with receptor cells that send information for five flavors: salty, sweet, bitter, sour or umami (savory). Imagine how strong the average Christian would be if they took “eating” of Christ as important and desirable as eating food.
This is what David does when he speaks of the pleasure that comes when tasting of the Lord when he says in Psalm 19:9 “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. 10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward”.…and again in Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” There is a sweetness to the ways and words of the Lord because they are true, clean, sweet, protective and there is a blessing in it. Finding hidden truth about God is like winning the lottery or eating chocolate cake!
God often compares taking in His word to eating. Joshua’s recipe for success was given to Him by God in chapter one: “8Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” That word “meditate” means “contemplate, think, consider, ponder, muse, reflect, deliberate, ruminate, chew the cud, brood, mull something over”. A cow will swallow food, it will come back to its mouth as cud where it will chewed again and swallowed again. This is a description of how we are to take in God’s word. We are to consider it but then we are to let it come up again and again in our spirit to reprocess so we can fully take it in and digest it to benefit the most from its nutrients. This because the word of God is rich, organic, raw and full of power. You cannot possibly get its full effect or impact even in a lifetime. We need to take time with the word of God and let it soak in every fiber of our being so it becomes a part of us and becomes us--the way we talk, look, think, feel, act and react.
When Jesus was fasting the devil tried to tempt him with physical food. Jesus was able to overcome the temptation by relying fully on the spiritual alternative which is God’s word. In Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus shows us that there is victory over the cravings of the flesh by relying on the spiritual sustenance of His word. So not only do we need God’s word for life, pleasure, nutrition but also victory because everything the enemy tempts us with is a counterfeit of something better we can find in God. This is why it is important to hide God’s word in your heart. The psalmist says to do this: so that I will not sin against God (psalm 119:11). When we know the original promise God has for us, we will not want the cheap copy. This is why we stay in faith for that which is not faith is sin (Romans 14:23). The flesh says NOW and MY WAY and GRAB but the Spirit says gently wait, God’s way and trust.
When God spoke to the prophets, he often gave them a scroll to eat before they received their vision to speak to the people. This happened to Ezekiel in chapter 3:1 when God told him1“Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3“Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” God went on to warn the prophet about the stubbornness of the people. 10Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”
Taking in God’s word is like spiritual eating and digestion. When it goes in not only does it supply pleasure and nutrients for the eater but it also becomes a living substance that can be distributed to other people. God knew that the people of Israel needed to have the warnings and words that he put in the prophet’s mouth in order to compel them away from disaster and into deliverance. Sometimes the people listened but sometimes they rebelled, however, as long as the prophet was obedient to bring forth the message, the words were activated. Either the declaration would become a blessing or curse on the people depending on their choice of God’s way or their way. Likewise when God’s word is spoken today, we can either grasp it, digest it and let it become part of our life, or we can spit or throw it up and wither spiritually.
The wonderful part about God’s word is that it fully satisfies. Just like the feeling of a full belly after Thanksgiving dinner, the word of God makes your spirit man feel complete and lacking nothing. David described this in Psalm 63 when he said: “5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.” And again in Psalm 34 when he said “8Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! 9Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. 10Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” Let us not be destitute like the world that goes from one thing to the next looking to fill their spiritual hunger and bring happiness. We have Jesus the one that truly satisfies! Let us eat and drink of Him today for our every want and need and highest pleasure.
Jesus also used bread as a symbol of multiplication. In John 6 the disciples had a dilemma. The people had followed Jesus into the desert to hear his preaching and they were tired and hungry without food. The only food that was in the crowd was from a small lunch a boy had (probably from a conscientious mother who was thinking ahead.) The disciples were looking at the amount of the provision and said "what is this among so many?" But twice that we know of, Jesus had compassion on the people and prayer over the meager findings (five and two/seven and a few fishes) to feed a multitude. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.14When the people saw himb do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”c 15When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself." Sometimes lack of forethought, the magnitude of the need, and a crisis will leave us without. It is at these times that Jesus will leave us with a key or idea that can turn the lock and bring us to plenty. The important part is to give that key to Jesus--no matter how small or silly it may be--and be obedient. Jesus can take a dollar, a few words, a phone call or connection to increase us and bring a destiny moment in our lives.
We are as dependent on Jesus for our spiritual life as a man is reliant on food and water for living. There are many malnourished Christians today. A malnourished individual has significant weight and muscle loss, fatigue, dizziness, organ inefficiency and frail bones with the possibility of death by starvation. In the same way, people without a regular intake of God’s word and communion with the Father and other believers become spiritually frail, tired and weak with the danger of dying spiritually.
Not only is eating food needed for life but it is a pleasurable experience. If you have ever watched a cooking show or talked to a “foodie”, the way they describe a recipe, ingredient or dish makes you salivate! They go into explicit detail about the flavor and experience when trying a new item. The human mouth has taste buds with receptor cells that send information for five flavors: salty, sweet, bitter, sour or umami (savory). Imagine how strong the average Christian would be if they took “eating” of Christ as important and desirable as eating food.
This is what David does when he speaks of the pleasure that comes when tasting of the Lord when he says in Psalm 19:9 “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. 10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward”.…and again in Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” There is a sweetness to the ways and words of the Lord because they are true, clean, sweet, protective and there is a blessing in it. Finding hidden truth about God is like winning the lottery or eating chocolate cake!
God often compares taking in His word to eating. Joshua’s recipe for success was given to Him by God in chapter one: “8Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” That word “meditate” means “contemplate, think, consider, ponder, muse, reflect, deliberate, ruminate, chew the cud, brood, mull something over”. A cow will swallow food, it will come back to its mouth as cud where it will chewed again and swallowed again. This is a description of how we are to take in God’s word. We are to consider it but then we are to let it come up again and again in our spirit to reprocess so we can fully take it in and digest it to benefit the most from its nutrients. This because the word of God is rich, organic, raw and full of power. You cannot possibly get its full effect or impact even in a lifetime. We need to take time with the word of God and let it soak in every fiber of our being so it becomes a part of us and becomes us--the way we talk, look, think, feel, act and react.
When Jesus was fasting the devil tried to tempt him with physical food. Jesus was able to overcome the temptation by relying fully on the spiritual alternative which is God’s word. In Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus shows us that there is victory over the cravings of the flesh by relying on the spiritual sustenance of His word. So not only do we need God’s word for life, pleasure, nutrition but also victory because everything the enemy tempts us with is a counterfeit of something better we can find in God. This is why it is important to hide God’s word in your heart. The psalmist says to do this: so that I will not sin against God (psalm 119:11). When we know the original promise God has for us, we will not want the cheap copy. This is why we stay in faith for that which is not faith is sin (Romans 14:23). The flesh says NOW and MY WAY and GRAB but the Spirit says gently wait, God’s way and trust.
When God spoke to the prophets, he often gave them a scroll to eat before they received their vision to speak to the people. This happened to Ezekiel in chapter 3:1 when God told him1“Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3“Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” God went on to warn the prophet about the stubbornness of the people. 10Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”
Taking in God’s word is like spiritual eating and digestion. When it goes in not only does it supply pleasure and nutrients for the eater but it also becomes a living substance that can be distributed to other people. God knew that the people of Israel needed to have the warnings and words that he put in the prophet’s mouth in order to compel them away from disaster and into deliverance. Sometimes the people listened but sometimes they rebelled, however, as long as the prophet was obedient to bring forth the message, the words were activated. Either the declaration would become a blessing or curse on the people depending on their choice of God’s way or their way. Likewise when God’s word is spoken today, we can either grasp it, digest it and let it become part of our life, or we can spit or throw it up and wither spiritually.
The wonderful part about God’s word is that it fully satisfies. Just like the feeling of a full belly after Thanksgiving dinner, the word of God makes your spirit man feel complete and lacking nothing. David described this in Psalm 63 when he said: “5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.” And again in Psalm 34 when he said “8Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! 9Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. 10Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” Let us not be destitute like the world that goes from one thing to the next looking to fill their spiritual hunger and bring happiness. We have Jesus the one that truly satisfies! Let us eat and drink of Him today for our every want and need and highest pleasure.
Jesus also used bread as a symbol of multiplication. In John 6 the disciples had a dilemma. The people had followed Jesus into the desert to hear his preaching and they were tired and hungry without food. The only food that was in the crowd was from a small lunch a boy had (probably from a conscientious mother who was thinking ahead.) The disciples were looking at the amount of the provision and said "what is this among so many?" But twice that we know of, Jesus had compassion on the people and prayer over the meager findings (five and two/seven and a few fishes) to feed a multitude. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.14When the people saw himb do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”c 15When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself." Sometimes lack of forethought, the magnitude of the need, and a crisis will leave us without. It is at these times that Jesus will leave us with a key or idea that can turn the lock and bring us to plenty. The important part is to give that key to Jesus--no matter how small or silly it may be--and be obedient. Jesus can take a dollar, a few words, a phone call or connection to increase us and bring a destiny moment in our lives.
The miracle of the loaves and fishes shows
that Jesus is concerned with every part of us including spiritual and physical.
What use would it have been if Jesus would have physically healed all the
people and then they fainted on the way home because of hunger? In the
same way, Jesus is concerned about our health, our happiness and our provision.
Salvation means wholeness and He wants to touch every part of us.
Jesus showed that He was the God of abundance because he took something
very small and increased it to provide for a multitude with much left over.
Jesus is extravagant in His love and provision. He gives us more
than we ask for, more than we need, and more than we give Him. If we put
our gift to Him in His Hands whether time, money, talents, He can increase it
to bless many people with extras left over to bless us back with much more
than we ever gave Him in the first place. Jesus used bread to show He is
a provider and multiplier. In the New Testament Jesus revealed to us that He is
Our Bread.
In John 6, the people were so enthralled
with Jesus that they started following Him as their new bread manufacturer but
Jesus rebuked them because He did
not want the people to be overtaken in following after the physical sustenance
over the spiritual reality of His presence, which is a greater sustenance.
In verse 22 it says 22The
next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had
taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23Several boats from
Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the
people had eaten. 24So when the crowd saw
that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and
went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25They found him on the
other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”26Jesus replied, “I tell
you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you
understood the miraculous signs. 27But don’t be so concerned
about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life
that the Son of Manf can give you. For God the Father has
given me the seal of his approval.”
Soul hunger is the biggest need a person
has. People wander to and fro trying to find something, some place, or some
one, that can make them feel happy and satisfied inside. Physical food,
relationships, rest and pleasure bring a person temporary relief but all of
those things are fleeting in their ability to provide lasting contentment.
Only Jesus is the bread that can end hunger forever. If all of our
time and energy goes to pursuing the temporal, we need to take Jesus' advice
and readjust our focus and what we are chasing until He is our full buffet.
Jesus continues in John 6 to elaborate on
the mystical sense of His body being flesh to be eaten and His blood drink to
be swallowed in order to receive the life of God. This shows the
absolute necessity of receiving Jesus for life. Just like a man
cannot live without bread and water and must partake it on a daily basis, we
cannot survive without Jesus and we need Him daily to live. 53So
Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54But
anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise
that person at the last day. 55For my
flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Anyone
who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57I live
because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on
me will live because of me. 58I am
the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not
die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live
forever.”
Jesus further revealed the idea of His
body being bread and His blood being wine at the Last Supper when Jesus was
celebrating the feast of the unleavened bread in the upper room. He
instituted the practice of remembering His body and blood sacrifice during the
breaking of bread just before He was to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice
for sin to atone mankind of sin--for what he could not cleanse for himself.
In Luke 22 it says 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the
apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have
earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For
I tell you I will not eat it[b] until it is fulfilled
in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he
had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves.18 For
I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until
the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when
he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my
body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And
likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured
out for you is the new covenant in my blood.[c
Today we celebrate "communion" in our churches to remember the sacrifice Jesus gave for us, but the Bible does not put parameters around the practice. The physical symbols of food and drink become a representation of Jesus and how His body was broken and His blood was poured out on behalf of us. As we ingest it, it reminds us that His blood applied to our lives is a covering for sin, and a wound for our Healing and His flesh, a shredded token of our peace with God. We should not remember these tokens lightly as Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 11 because this was a great cost to the Father, and a great sacrifice for our Lord. Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb, reigning King, and gentle Shepherd. As we approach Him, may we do so hungry, determined, reverent, and in awe.
The scripture also shows that bread
is a test in lack and in plenty. In
lack, God brings us to a place of want to humble us and test us to see if we
will obey in a time of famine and follow him even when all the human reasons to
do so (reward, gain, attention) are gone.
He wants to teach us that we do not live only by physical supply but the
spiritual sustenance is what really sustains us. He wants to teach us that He is the only real
reward and the only one worth chasing and living for.
A good example here is Job. Here was one of the wealthiest men in the world who was stripped of everything in a matter of hours. He lost his animals, his house, his children, his health and even his wife’s affection. This test was allowed by God but in it God had confidence that his servant Job would stay faithful to Him, such was his heart for God! God had this testimony of Job: 1:8“He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil”. When disaster struck Job, he was naturally upset, but he did not let his sorrow or disappointment break his relationship and trust in God. He determined to stay faithful and loyal to God even to death. It says in 1:20Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. 21He said,
A good example here is Job. Here was one of the wealthiest men in the world who was stripped of everything in a matter of hours. He lost his animals, his house, his children, his health and even his wife’s affection. This test was allowed by God but in it God had confidence that his servant Job would stay faithful to Him, such was his heart for God! God had this testimony of Job: 1:8“He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil”. When disaster struck Job, he was naturally upset, but he did not let his sorrow or disappointment break his relationship and trust in God. He determined to stay faithful and loyal to God even to death. It says in 1:20Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. 21He said,
“I
came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”
Job passed the test of losing everything
but still staying true to God and loving Him when nothing went His way. Many people throw in the towel with God when
they do not get what they want. They use
worldly means to obtain wealth, position, power, prestige and relationships
where the godly way would cause them to forfeit these things. This is also a test to see if there are any
gods before God in our life. Some people
cannot stand the thought of being demoted for a righteous stand. Others do not want to do without the luxuries
and approval of popular people that may be offered by a life of compromise,
however if following Jesus means losing everything, we must come to a point
where we are willing to do so. Only when
we are completely dependent on God will we learn that we can completely depend
on Him.
When the Israelites embarked on taking the Promised Land God warned them of the test of lack and plenty. He said:
When the Israelites embarked on taking the Promised Land God warned them of the test of lack and plenty. He said:
Duet 8:1“Be careful to obey all the commands I am
giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and
occupy the land the Lord swore to give your
ancestors. 2Remember
how the Lord your God led you through the
wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your
character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3Yes, he humbled you
by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously
unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not
live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of
the Lord. 4For all these forty
years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. 5Think about it: Just
as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God
disciplines you for your own good.
In hardship, God tests our resolve. He gives us practice sessions where things are extremely difficult because He wants to increase our spiritual stamina and strength. This is so He can entrust us with greater revelation, provision and position. Some people misunderstand and feel like the wilderness is an attack of the enemy or God being unkind or unfair and they mumble and grumble their way out of a miracle. They forfeit their own ability to grow and receive because they do not understand the nature and character of God in the test. They never get to the “big game” of the Promised Land because they never develop the level of trust and strength on the practice field necessary with God in order to fight the devil and gain possession of the territory God has for them in the spirit realm.
In hardship, God tests our resolve. He gives us practice sessions where things are extremely difficult because He wants to increase our spiritual stamina and strength. This is so He can entrust us with greater revelation, provision and position. Some people misunderstand and feel like the wilderness is an attack of the enemy or God being unkind or unfair and they mumble and grumble their way out of a miracle. They forfeit their own ability to grow and receive because they do not understand the nature and character of God in the test. They never get to the “big game” of the Promised Land because they never develop the level of trust and strength on the practice field necessary with God in order to fight the devil and gain possession of the territory God has for them in the spirit realm.
Some
Christians that should be doing great works for God are still on the sidelines
doing calisthenics because they have not gotten through complaining, blaming,
running, and hiding instead of standing, shouting, praising, and fighting the
fight of faith. They are on the roster
but they do not have the basic skillset for God to use them in a kingdom match
on the playing field. This has nothing
to do with churchy titles or accomplishments.
Some people have written books, preached in pulpits and gone on the
mission field and are no more fit to the game of kingdom life than the water
boy. So often these same individuals want
to be the quarterback in every play with their own rule book and their own set
of plays. They are highly offended if
they are not selected for the spotlight or if God chooses to work a different
way, with a different person or in a different time or place.
When
I was first learning soccer, I had many of these attitudes. I could not stand it when the coach kept me
on the bench and I was sure that I could do a better job on the field than the
first-string pick. It only took a few
times being put on the actual field and being left in the dust or routed by the
opposing team that I saw my ignorance.
The coach knew my level of play and what would happen if I was put in
the game prematurely. She was waiting
for me to become skilled enough in order to use me to get a victory. She did not want to lose and she did not want
me to lose. The grueling practices were needed
so I could learn how to win.
Likewise,
the tests God allows in our life are for the purpose of making us victorious to
win in the game of life. He wants us to
triumph and receive His blessing. The
trophies that God rewards in this life and the next have to do with spiritual
fruit, intimacy, and righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost—the hallmarks
of a spirit-filled life. Therefore, do
not judge your situation or the situation of someone else on a problem or
weakness neither on a title or accomplishment.
Look at the evidences of a life connected and flourishing in their communion
with Christ. This is what matters and
the way God sees a heart.
Just
as God tests us in lack, some God tries
with abundance of bread to see our level of obedience. God allows us to go through times of plenty
to observe our response and whether we will remember how God brought us through
the test and remember that He was the one that was our supply and it was not us. So the time of plenty is also a test. It is a season where God gives us everything
we want and he waits to see if we still come to him, spend time with Him and
love him first. If we pass this critical
test, He can trust us with more wealth, riches and blessing. However, if like Solomon we forget him and
allow our heart to be drawn away to other people, things and idols, he will rip
our destiny and kingdom from us and our offspring.
This was the sad state described in 1Kings 11. It says in verse 4In Solomon’s old age, they (his wives) turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. 5Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech,a the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.
This was the sad state described in 1Kings 11. It says in verse 4In Solomon’s old age, they (his wives) turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. 5Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech,a the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.
9The Lord was very angry with
Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who
had appeared to him twice. 10He had warned Solomon specifically
about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. 11So now the
Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my
decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of
your servants.”
God wanted to bless Solomon, but
God’s blessing is always contingent on obedience. He has a true inheritance for his people that
includes His anointing, presence, power and provision. Our heart is tested by what we do with what
God gives us and in where its affections lie.
Where our heart goes there our treasure goes also. If our Heart goes to God, He becomes our
treasure and gives us heavenly wealth this earth cannot buy. If our heart goes to idols they become our
prize and we will be left in the end with stubble. Luke 12 says 33“Sell your possessions and give to those in
need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven
never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal
it and no moth can destroy it.
34Wherever
your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” I believe this is a verse
that can be read literally and figuratively.
Literally what you spend your money on you will value but in the same
token what you value you will spend your money on. This comes down to the heart. We must guard our heart so nothing can take
the place of Jesus and turn us away from Him.
If He is the only one we worship and adore then He can trust us with
true earthly and heavenly riches.
In
the season of plenty, we should take heed that we are a wise steward of our resources
and invest them in eternal things. This
will keep our hearts after God and also make us fruitful and more trustworthy
to rule and reign with Jesus in kingdom business. Also we should be careful to stay humble. The abundance test is meant to see who we will give
credit to. Insecure and instable people
always need the attention and focus on their abilities and will think nothing
of receiving praise and honor for themselves.
They begin to depend on their own ability to get success and for a while
it will seem proper to do so.
God warned the Israelites of the test of plenty as Duet 8 continues: 11“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 12For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! 14Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. 15Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. 17He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’
God warned the Israelites of the test of plenty as Duet 8 continues: 11“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 12For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! 14Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. 15Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. 17He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’
Let
us never forget where we have come from and who gives us our daily bread. Let us ever be dependent on Him whether in
plenty or lack so we pass every test as true and faithful servants of the
Master. When we have opportunity let us use our blessings to testify to the goodness of the Lord so He is magnified in and through us. God is worthy and He dwells within the praises of His people. He is so good and everything good we have and are is because of Him. Take time to tell Him thank you today!!
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