21 Days... Daily Bread

With 21 days left until Mexico, I wanted to focus on the verse from the Lord prayer in Matthew Chapter 6, "Give us this day our daily bread..."

Such a seemingly simple verse is so packed with meaning! If we just take it at face value, it is easy to speed by it. I think the meaning here is much deeper, with Jesus urging us to go to God daily to supply our needs, and not just for bread to ease our hunger!
I think at the core, this verse is the meaning behind the spiritual discipline of fasting. Jesus Himself fasted 40 days and nights in the desert and when tempted by the devil to make the stones turn to bread, Jesus responded with a verse from Deuteronomy:

"Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

There are many ways to fast, but for today let's focus on a very simple example that most people understand... Fasting from caffeine. Most of us are addicts. Wake up and get your morning fix, one way or another. Some people drink a cup of coffee. Others drink a pot. Exceedingly weird people, like me, often find themselves starting the day with a morning Mountain Dew. It is how we get our energy to continue on. But what if when Jesus told us to pray "give us our daily bread," He was also saying, "Give us our daily energy, give us our daily patience, give our daily relief from the pains of this life we may be feeling, whether those pains be physical, spiritual, or emotional."

I encourage my mission trip teams to build their dependence on God for their every need by fasting in some way every year. Caffeine is often an easy candidate, and one you will feel! Go to God for you energy first thing in the morning and trust He will provided. Don't be dependent on anything but God. And then when you wake up the next day, go to Him again. Don't ask for energy for the year. Don't ask for bread for the year. Ask for today's portion to get by, knowing that He will provide again tomorrow, much like He did when He provided manna from heaven in Exodus.

Philippians 4:19 says , "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." God may not give you all your wants, but He will supply all your needs- so let's get dependent on Him and remember where all good things come from!

James 1:17 says "Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning."