The Bread Of Life: The Bread
Give us day by day our daily bread.
Luke 11:3 (NKJV)
'Give us day by day our daily bread' is a stand-alone verse in the middle of the Lord's Prayer.
It’s like a circular life preserver, thrown out from the deck of a reeling ship. Desperately, we cling to it tightly, as it lifts us up and covers our hearts in the stormy seas of life on this earth.
So what is this bread?
Bread is hospitality and a bond: 'Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High' (Genesis 14:18).
Bread is worship. It symbolizes Christ: 'And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. Put them in a basket and present them in it' (Exodus 29:2-3). 'Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My Body' ' (Matthew 26:26) 'I am the Bread of Life' (John 6:35).
‘Bread is provision, it is blessing, it is strength. It is the product of dominion, a cooperation between God's blessing of the crops and man's labor in the fields, the mill, and the bakery. Every loaf of bread is God's kindness, a demonstration of the Image of God, of God's will being done on earth as it is in Heaven, and when we eat this blessing, we receive strength. And so, of necessity, every loaf of bread is also a call to thank God' (Full Contact Christianity).*
What does 'Day by day our daily life' mean? Daily nourishment in Christ is crucial!
'As the Israelites had manna, 'Let us have bread today for today, and tomorrow for tomorrow;' for thus we may be kept in a continual dependence upon God, as children upon their parents, and may have our mercies fresh from His Hand daily, and may find ourselves under fresh obligations to do the work of every day in the day' (Matthew Henry's Commentary).
Likely, you've eaten bread thousands of times. What might happen if each time you ate it, you not only thank your Father for it, but also welcome Him into to your home, family, circumstances, and body?
'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My Voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me' (Revelation 3:20).
The Bread Of Life: The Bread (Part 4)
* Full Contact Christianity: http://fullcontactchristianity.org/2010/02/21/the-lords-table-the-meaning-of-bread/
* 'Bread of Life' study: http://www.christianityoasis.com/TellMeTheStoryOfJesus/BreadOfLife.htm
* 'Bread, Bread of Presence' study: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/bread-bread-of-presence.html
NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.