Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Bread. For those of us who have lived with the blessing of great prosperity, we hardly know the meaning of lacking such necessities as basic food. We tend to take for granted all of the rich and wondrous blessings given to us by God. Often it is true that those who have little are far happier and more content with life than those who have much. We who live in prosperity are often guilty of forgetting that it is God who provides for all of our basic needs, and not we ourselves.
Give us this day our daily bread,
Matthew 6:11, NKJV
Give us day by day our daily bread.
Luke 11:3, NKJV
Our Daily Bread
For those of us who have lived with the blessing of great prosperity, we hardly know the meaning of these words. Oh, we, as Christians, may acknowledge that everything we have, including our food, comes from God, but we have not known what it is like to live from day to day, wondering if there will be any food to eat today, or tomorrow!
That has not always been the case, even in countries such as the United
States. My mother often told us of the story of her life in the 1930's.
Her father was away due to illness and could not provide for his family,
so her mother tried to take in sewing. That was not easy at a time when
there were nine children to care for.
Being one of the three oldest, she was expected to take off school every 3rd
day to care for the children at home so her mother could work, but
sometimes there was not enough work available for her mother. Food
became scarce, and finally, my mother confided with her friend that she
would not be coming to school any more because she no longer had the
strength to walk the two miles to school.
It was a small community, and when word got out that the Miles children
were starving, the community became involved and made sure the family
had food. But, what if everyone else in the community was in the same
condition? What if everyone was scrambling to find
something--anything--to eat?
We, who live in prosperity, often are guilty of forgetting that it is
God who provides for us--even our daily bread. He gives us healthy
bodies that can work, and jobs to earn the money we need to take care of
our daily needs.
Many of us are in circumstances where our governments will provide for
those who cannot meet their daily needs. This is truly sad, for in
actuality, God placed that responsibility upon His children. Where is
the church today? God's people should be providing for their own.
Perhaps that day will again be upon us, when our governments will no
longer be able to take care of their citizens. Will the church step up to
the plate?
Let us, as God's children, consider how we may look beyond our own
doorsteps, and even beyond our own countries, to areas in the this world
where hunger still abounds. How can we help? Is God choosing to use us
to help others in need?
In the end, there is more involved in these words of Christ than we
first realize. We are called to look at the most basic necessities of
life and understand that it is truly God who provides and cares for us.
Never, while on this earth, do God's children have to be alone or in
need, for God is always right beside us, caring for our every need.
Let us, then, consider our great and marvelous God who even provides our
daily needs. Let us consider what great things He would have us do for
Him while we still remain on this earth.
Devotional Reflections from the Bible
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