![]() John 6:31-35 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written; 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven,but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 both say that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Our appetites lean toward trying to fill the hunger in our lives with food and things. God has offered us a much better answer to our searching for something to satisfy that hunger. When Jesus came to us as fully man and fully God, He came as the Word. He is offering us something that will guide us in the paths of life. He provides us with manna from heaven that satisfies our needs and can end our searching for something more. His words are the one thing that can turn us from seeking the world's solutions to finding eternal joy and contentment. The bread of life is calorie free and guaranteed to give life eternal. This bread does not pass through our system and then is gone. It stays deep within our hearts and reminds us of what Jesus has done for us and what we can do for Him. The bread of life does not spoil and need to be replaced. It is unchanging yet is new every morning. We can read the same passage one day and it will mean little. Yet when we need that word from the Lord, that passage will practically jump off the page at us and give us peace or conviction depending on what we need at the time. God's word gives life. It gives comfort, reassures us and guides us. Jesus is the bread of life. He is the Word that came down from heaven. We can live on this bread. We need food and water to live in this world but the bread of life gives us what we need to live eternally with Christ in heavenly realms.
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![]() John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 1:5,9-10 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. Psalms 18:28 You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning, my God turns my darkness into light. Psalms 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? John 12:46 "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness." The world that we live in is filled with darkness. We who love the Lord have been given a true light to follow. Isaiah 42:6 tells us that we are to be a light to the gentiles. We are to be a witness to the One who is that light. That light overcomes the darkness. Genesis 1:16 states that the Lord created the greater light for the day and the lesser light for the night. We serve and worship the Greater Light. Our Lord and Creator made us with a desire for Him. We seek a place or things or people to fulfill that desire and yet we can't find anything. We have an answer for that. We have Someone that fills that desire in a way that we can't comprehend. He, our Lord, is a lamp and a light. He shines in the darkness as a beacon. We are drawn to Him. We seek Him in the things of the world but He has greater things to give us than what the world could ever give. Jesus is the light of the world and He can lift us out of the darkness into the light. He can make the darkest night into a Son filled time. He can take the pain and storms of our lives and calm them. He is more than willing to fill our emptiness and our loneliness with a light that never fails. He loves us. ![]() Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and,have their being." We go to church and sing songs of praise and worship. We lift our hands to the Lord. We sing of our love for Him. The music swells, our voices raise to the rafters. We speak the words to the songs and make a joyful noise to our Creator. But where is our heart? Are our hearts in tune with the words? Do our thoughts flow to the Lord or are they on what is for dinner and what needs done when we get home? At the church I attend, we have a time at the beginning of the service to calm our thoughts and take time to focus on the Lord. I find that time is not utilized to it's full potential. I find myself settling in and finding the first hymn and the scripture reference for that sermon. I try to refocus during the first few minutes of the service and miss some things I need to hear. I need to prioritize better, so that my focus is on worship. We sing to the Lord that He is worthy of our praise, but is our praise worthy of Him? Is our heart set to give Him our full attention? The Lord is meant to be at the center of our lives and yet we offer Him the remnants of our thoughts and time. We sing to Him with our thoughts elsewhere when we should be offering Him a mansion of praise. He gives us 24/7 attention. He is there all the time. No matter what we do or where we are, He is in the midst of our lives. He shares our mountain tops and our deep valleys. He knows our thoughts and deeds. He is worthy of our praise and worship and love. He is all we need. When you offer praise and worship, make it from the heart. Make your praise with your full attention. Focus on Who He is and what He has done. No matter where you are in life, praising the King of kings, our Lord and Savior, can change your perspective on who we are and Who He is. He is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. Make your praise worthy of Him ![]() Habakkuk 2:18-20 Of what value is an idol,since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation;he makes idols that cannot speak. "Woe to him who says to the wood, 'come to life!' or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. But the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth be silent before Him. Matthew 28:6,7 He is not here; He has risen just as He said.... Mark 16:6 Luke 24:5-7 both repeat the same words. Jesus is alive and well. He appeared to His disciples and hundreds of others. His ascension was documented by secular historians of the time. His life has never been denied even by those who deny His deity. Christianity worships a living, personal God Who is personally involved in our lives if we permit Him. Jesus Christ is a hands on God Who desires to be a part of our day to day lives. He lives and wants to live in us. So many of the world's religions worship a god who may have lived but is since dead. There are religions that worship the things that our God created. Many of the gods of the Old Testament were carved by men. What was left over from carving these 'gods' was used to fuel the fire to cook their lunch. The gods could not speak, intervene for our benefit or even change circumstances. They were worshiped because someone told the people the gods had power. 1Samuel 5 tells of the Ark of the Covenant and it's power over the god of the Philistines. Their god, Dagon, fell on his face before the Ark. The Philistines set him up again and he not only fell again, but was broken to pieces. God poured out His wrath against the people. The Philistines could not get the Ark out of the country fast enough. So much for carved gods against the Creator of the universe. We serve a living, risen God Who came to us as a baby, lived, died and was resurrected. He is alive!!! We are redeemed and saved by His sacrifice. What more do we need than what He has given. Jesus lives. We live in Him. What joy!!! |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson Archives
June 2021
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