OUR DAILY BREAD

Christianity can be condensed into four words: Admit, Submit, Commit and Transmit. -Samuel Wilberforce

OUR DAILY BREAD

A Feast of Love
I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
John 6:51
READ JOHN 6:47–59
In the Danish film Babette’s Feast, a French refugee appears in a coastal village. Two elderly sisters, leaders of the community’s religious life, take her in, and for fourteen years Babette works as their housekeeper. When Babette comes into a large sum of money, she invites the congregation of twelve to join her for an extravagant French meal of caviar, quail in puff pastry, and more.
As they move from one course to the next, the guests relax; some find forgiveness, some find love rekindled, and some begin recalling miracles they’d witnessed and truths they’d learned in childhood. “Remember what we were taught?” they say. “Little children, love one another.” When the meal ends, Babette reveals to the sisters that she spent all she had on the food. She gave everything—including any chance of returning to her old life as an acclaimed chef in Paris—so that her friends, eating, might feel their hearts open.
Jesus appeared on earth as a stranger and servant, and He gave everything so that our spiritual hunger might be satisfied. In John’s gospel, He reminds His listeners that when their ancestors wandered hungry in the wilderness, God provided quail and bread (Exodus 16). That food satisfied for a time, but Jesus promises that those who accept Him as the “bread of life” will “live forever” (John 6:48, 51). His sacrifice satisfies our spiritual cravings.
By Amy Peterson
REFLECT & PRAY
Jesus, thank You for giving Your body and blood for us.
How has God satisfied your hunger? What might it look like for you to give sacrificially?
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Of all the “signs” (miracles) Jesus performed, John only records seven that point to Jesus as God’s Son (John 20:30-31). The miracle of the multiplication of the fish and loaves in 6:1-14 is one of those. (It also appears in the other gospels—Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17.) The additional miracles John includes are changing water into wine (2:1-11), healing the official’s son (4:46-54), healing the paralyzed man (5:1-15), walking on water (6:16-21), healing the man born blind (9:1-7), and raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-45). Arthur Jackson

PERFECTION OF SUFFERING~STREAMS IN THE DESERT -MARCH 13

‎"Perfection of Suffering" -Streams in the Desert - March 13 -

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" (Ps. 138:8).

There is a Divine mystery in suffering, a strange and supernatural power in it, which has never been fathomed by the human reason. There never has been known great saintliness of soul which did not pass through great suffering. When the suffering soul reaches a calm sweet carelessness, when it can inwardly smile at its own suffering, and does not even ask God to deliver it from suffering, then it has wrought its blessed ministry; then patience has its perfect work; then the crucifixion begins to weave itself into a crown.

It is in this state of the perfection of suffering that the Holy Spirit works many marvelous things in our souls. In such a condition, our whole being lies perfectly still under the hand of God; every faculty of the mind and will and heart are at last subdued; a quietness of eternity settles down into the whole being; the tongue grows still, and has but few words to say; it stops asking God questions; it stops crying, "Why hast thou forsaken me ?"

The imagination stops building air castles, or running off on foolish lines; the reason is tame and gentle; the choices are annihilated; it has no choice in anything but the purpose of God. The affections are weaned from all creatures and all things; it is so dead that nothing can hurt it, nothing can offend it, nothing can hinder it, nothing can get in its way; for, let the circumstances be what they may, it seeks only for God and His will, and it feels assured that God is making everything in the universe, good or bad, past or present, work together for its good.

Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! Of losing our own strength, and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus.
--Soul Food

The great thing is to suffer without being discouraged.
--Fenelon

"The heart that serves, and loves, and clings,
Hears everywhere the rush of angel wings."

DAYS OF PRAISE Another Gospel

Another Gospel

November 13-2010

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:6-7)3, 2010

Some have confessed difficulty with these verses, especially with the words "another gospel: Which is not another." This problem finds resolution in an understanding of two distinct Greek words which, unfortunately, are both here translated as "another" in this passage.

In verse 6 Paul uses the Greek word heteros, which implies something of a totally different sort altogether--something diametrically opposed to the one to which it is compared. But in verse 7 he uses the word allos, which implies a comparison of two items of the same sort. The thought might be conveyed as follows: "You are removed from the true gospel of the grace of Christ unto a totally different belief system, which is not simply a similar but legitimate expression of the true gospel. Instead, it is quite opposite to the truth." Paul goes on to teach that this "different" gospel is a perversion of the true gospel, and instead of bringing peace, it brings about a troubling of the mind.

The primary theme of the entire book of Galatians is salvation by grace through faith in Christ, as opposed to salvation by works and law. "No man is justified by the law in the sight of God. . . . The just shall live by faith" (3:11). This marvelous good news had been denied by many in the Galatian church, but Paul had received the message of grace "by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:12). Any mixture of works with grace constituted a perversion of God’s plan, and any who would teach such perversion warranted strong condemnation from Paul. "If any man preach any other |from the Greek word para, meaning contrary| gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" (1:9). JDM

Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229

DAYS OF PRAISE-THE SAINTS

The Saints

November 30, 2009

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are

at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 1:1)

In the opening salutations to the churches at Rome, Corinth, Ephesus,

Philippi, and Colosse, the apostle Paul addresses the "saints" in those

churches—a term essentially synonymous (as in our text above) with

"the faithful in Christ Jesus." The Greek word (hagios) is also translated

even more frequently as "holy." Evidently "saints" are "those who are

holy." For example, just three verses later Paul speaks thus of believers:

"He hath chosen us in him |Christ| before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy |same word| and without blame before him in love"

(v. 4).

This immediately raises an obvious question. Paul's rebukes to the "saints"

in these churches (especially Corinth) certainly would indicate that the lives

of many in them were anything but holy! How can sinners be called holy?

The answer to this problem must be, of course, in the fact that Christians are

"saints in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:1), not necessarily saintly in behavior.

It is a wonderful truth that God deals with us, not in our sins, but in Christ.

In His sight, we are even seated "together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"

(Ephesians 2:6).

We have surely been "blessed . . . with all spiritual blessings in heavenly

places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), and it would surely please Him if we would

seek to become as holy in our practice as in our position. "I beseech you

therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a

living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing

of your mind,that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect

, will of God"

(Romans 12:1-2). HMM

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