Jesus is the Bread of Life by Ann Broughton

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35 NIV).

   Have you ever run out of gas? I was mowing today and the mower ran out of gas, which was frustrating since I had to go to the gas station to get gas for it. Our mowers and cars etc. need gas for fuel or they just will not go. We as humans need fuel in our bodies in order to keep functioning. If you stop eating, you will not live. We need this to live and most of us are pretty faithful with filling our body with this kind of fuel. 

    Just like our vehicles and our bodies need fuel, so does our spiritual life. Actually, it is even more important to keep fueling our spiritual life.  “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11 NIV).  Jesus said that those are blessed who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew: 5:6) It is so easy to get so busy that praying, reading the Bible, going to church, and helping others gets put on the back burner. But if you continue this pattern you will find yourself someday feeling empty inside and yearning for a closer relationship with Christ. That is when you will be aching for the true bread of life.

    Jesus is our bread of life. We must feed on His love in order to sustain us during the storms in our lives. Some people say they can’t read the Bible because they don’t understand it. Pray before you read and ask God to enlighten you. The Holy Spirit inside of you will help you understand the scriptures better. Jesus said, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said” (John 14:26 NIV). We all need to worship every week and talk to our Christian friends. Fellowship is so important because we all need encouragement. Jesus wants us to have a close relationship with Him, but we must take time to do it in order to be the kind of Christian he wants us to be.

Dear Lord,

I know that I need to take time to feed on your love for me. Help me to take time every day to study your word, pray, and reach out to others with your love.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Crave the Lord by Ann Broughton

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1 NIV).

    Have you ever been extremely thirsty? I know I have felt this way when I am in the hot sun for awhile. Without water a person cannot live for long. I read that dehydration when you are overheated can happen within an hour. The reference above is related to how we are to thirst for the Lord’s influence in our lives, just as we are driven to drink water when we are thirsty. The need for Him and His presence in our lives should be what we pursue more than anything.

    I have just read a book that is so wonderful for those of us who have issues with craving certain foods (sugar for me). It is called Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. She stated that we are to crave the Lord more than we crave anything and that if anything else takes first place instead of God, then it is not good. I happen to be a stress eater so whenever I get stressed I head for chocolate, cookies, etc. The book made me so aware that I need to be seeking the Lord’s help when I am stressed and not rely on food to self-medicate. Maybe you have this problem too, so I hope you will be inspired to not view food as something to help you with emotional issues. One verse that is helping me is, “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work” (John 4:34 NIV). Doing the will of the Lord has always been my purpose, and knowing that food has become a stumbling block has convicted me to really put God first in my life in everything.

    Is it hard for you to walk away from certain foods? If you said yes then you are being ruled by food on some level. We are truly supposed to eat to live and make healthy choices so that we can be healthy to do His will in our lives.

We are the temple of God and we each have a mission from God. It is so important to keep our temple healthy so we can finish the work God has prepared for us.

Dear Lord,

Help us as we strive to put you first in our lives. Help us to long for your presence more than anything, and turn to you when we are in emotional crisis instead of something that will only gratify us for a little while.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen  

Perfect Peace by Ann Broughton

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV).

    Trusting in the Lord and having peace can be very difficult if you are facing something that is uncertain. But this is when the Lord can truly show you that His love is there for you in the midst of your crisis. But the key words here are “whose mind is steadfast”. Steadfast means that you absolutely know that God loves you and no matter what happens, you will always trust Him. We cannot see the future, but God does know it. He wants you to be in peace and know that His love will never fail you.

    I love the story of the woman who Jesus healed. She had been very ill for twelve years and had tried many different things to get well. None of these things helped her. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed”. (Matthew 9:21 NIV). There was a big crowd and Jesus was jostled, but as soon as she touched his cloak, she was healed. Jesus knew because He said power had gone from him. He asked who it was. The woman came to Him trembling and told Him it was her and that she was healed. He said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace”. (Luke 8:47 NIV).

    The woman believed with a steadfast heart that she would be healed by just touching his cloak. She had faith and put it into action. It was that faith that healed her. Do you think she trusted in the Lord from then on to satisfy her needs and give her peace? She knew what it was like to step out in faith and believe and not doubt.

    Maybe you are in a position right now that you need to trust in the Lord with all your heart. He is there for you. Pray and believe that He loves you and wants to supply you with the peace that only He can give. 

Dear Lord,

Sometimes it is very hard to trust you, when the future is uncertain, but I know you love me and that you will never leave me. Help me to have the same faith as the woman who was healed. Give me peace.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Treasures in Heaven by Ann Broughton

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19-20 NIV).

    After watching the disastrous aftermath of the tornado that hit Oklahoma City, I have been really thinking about what I consider my treasures here on earth. Those people lost everything they owned in an instant. How would you deal with that? I guess it just really made me relook at what is truly important to me, and realize that things are not that important. I have watched TV and saw the interviews of those who lost their house and all their possessions. Many of them said that they were just so happy that they, and those they loved, survived. When it comes down to the nitty gritty stuff of life, possessions should not be at the time of your list. You will not be able to take any of it with you when you die.

   What is more important is what impact you made on another person’s life. Have you helped someone in some way?  I believe that your treasure in heaven is what you do in the name of Jesus for others. My husband made such a wonderful point in his sermon today. He said that when we work and get a paycheck, we should be thinking of how we can share it with others. That should be our foremost thought. Interesting point of view isn’t it? But you see everything we have is a blessing from God, and we definitely should be using some of it to benefit those who are in need. This is how we store up treasures in heaven.

    So think about where your treasure is, and I sincerely hope that possessions aren’t at the top of your list. Every day is given to you as a blessing, and it is up to you to use it to bless others in some way.

Dear Lord,

Help us to thank you daily for your many blessings you have given us. Help us to use what we have to benefit others in some way. We know that your mission on earth was to help others, so help us do the same.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen