Skip to main content

Bread of God, Bread of Life


For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33)


            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. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:35-38)
BREAD OF GOD, BREAD OF LIFE

          Bread. Carbohydrates. They're absolutely essential to life, but there's bread and then there's bread. You can have healthy grains, some water, some herbs, and some yeast, or you can have bleached, processed flour, milk, yeast, sugar, more sugar, and whatever else tickles your taste buds. It can look like bread or it can look like cookies, cake, or even ice cream. You can eat it because it's what gives you the fuel your body needs to remain alive and functional or you can eat it because it tastes so good. 
       Unfortunately, far too many people eat the bread with lots of sugar and other unhealthy additives because it tastes good. Mea Culpa, mea maxima culpa. Spiritually, aren't we the same way? We don't want to go listen to another boring sermon telling us how to live our lives. We want excitement, humor, and drama added to improve the flavor of our religion. We want our theology to put us into a diabetic coma or to leave us drunk with emotion. If there's no sugar, where will the high come from that will motivate a brief frenzy of activity before we crash back into lethargy? Plain theology is tasteless and hard to chew. At the very least we need to add emotional grease to make it to make it slide down a little easier. 
          The Bread of God wasn't easy to chew or swallow. Oh, His words might have a sweet flavor when He said "love" and "forgive," but as soon as you start chewing on those, you find out they are tough nuts and seeds. The sweetness seems to drain out when you're commanded to submit and to suffer. Sanctification isn't saccharine. A constant diet of the same old bread, day after day... ask the Israelites (as paraphrased by Keith Green in "So You Want To Go Back To Egypt")
And in the morning it's manna hotcakes
We snack on manna all day
And we sure had a winner last night for dinner
Flaming manna soufflé


And in the morning it's manna hotcakes
We snack on manna all day
And we sure had a winner last night for dinner
Flaming manna soufflé


Well we once complained for something new to munch
The ground opened up and had some of us for lunch
Ooh, such fire and smoke
Can't God even take a joke? Huh? NO!
...
What? Oh no, manna again?
Oh, manna waffles
Manna burgers
Manna bagels
Fillet of manna
Manna patty
BaManna bread!

























Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...