Friday, May 10, 2019

May 10

John 6


I am a terrible cook. I am quite sure that without Kathie I would die of starvation. My expert dishes include hot dogs on the grill, cereal with fruit on top, and popcorn. But there was a time when I thought I was a cook. The demise of my cooking days can be pinpointed to one day. I was 19 years old and had just become a Christ follower on a trip to Iowa.  While there, I tasted some wonderfully delicious oatmeal bread. I wanted to give my family a taste of Iowa. With five growing children, our family was big in number as well as in consumption, so I decided to bake 10 loaves. My life motto is, "go big or go home."

I added 20 cups of oatmeal, 20 cups of flour, salt, water, and baking soda and then started to knead the dough. I don't know if you ever tried to knead a hunk of dough the size of a pillow, but it is hard work. I finally finished the process and stepped back to bask in the glory of my culinary achievement. It was then that my brother asked, "What are these packages on the counter?" I had forgotten the yeast. The demise of my cooking career had begun.

In Biblical times, the diet of the people was very simple.  There were no processed foods, no Twinkies, no Lucky Charms cereal, no frozen foods. In that culture the most important staple was bread. The Hebrews counted bread as vital for life, calling it "the staff of life." Without bread, the Israelites felt their lives were in danger.

Jesus emphasized the necessity of bread for daily life. "Give us this day our daily bread."

Jesus used this teaching moment to show us how much we need him. He claimed to be the bread of life. By this he meant he is the solution for every longing in our hungry hearts. If you are not taking him in every day, you are living on Twinkies.  

Saint Augustine said it this way, "Thou hast made us for thyself and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee."



--
"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

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