“Give us this day our daily bread.” –Matthew 6:11
When was the last time we really had to pray this humble prayer; asking the Lord to provide “daily bread” for our life? Seems almost insignificant in the times we live with a McDonald’s on almost every street corner and supermarkets overflowing. But the reality is that most of us are just one paycheck away before the well runs dry. The point of this prayer is simple and profound: we can never take God’s provision for granted; we are utterly dependent on Him for all things; and without Him, we can do nothing (cp, John 15:5; Phil. 4:13, 19). Everything that we have is from His gracious hand alone.
Listen to what A.W. Pink says about this truth: “By asking for our “daily bread” a tacit acknowledgment is made that “in Adam and by our own sins we have forfeited our right to all the outward blessings of this life, and deserve to be wholly deprived of them by God, and to have them cursed to us in the use of them; and that neither they of themselves are able to sustain us, nor we to merit, or by our own industry to procure them, but prone to desire, get and use them unlawfully; we pray for ourselves and others that they and we, waiting upon the providence of God from day to day, in the use of lawful means, may of His free gift, and as His Fatherly wisdom shall deem best, enjoy a competent portion of them, and have the same continued and blessed unto us in our holy and comfortable use of them and contentment in them” (Larger Cat.)
When I was seventeen years old, I went through one of the most difficult times a teenager could... I lost my Dad. I was holding my father, John Camp, when he went home to be with the Lord. The last thing I remember him saying to me was, "Steve, Jesus will never be all that you need, until Jesus is all you have!" Last words are lasting words. Those words became profound endearing truth to me from that day until now. Christ is sufficient for all things, isn't He? So if in His sweet sovereignty we find ourselves in the winepress of His love without the material comforts of this present life, may we always remember: Christ is our portion; He is our all in all; He is enough; He is the Bread of Heaven; He is our life, our peace, our joy, our hope; He is all we need. Amen?
Beloved, is the cubbard bare today? Are funds scarce and the resources for daily living almost gone? Then take heart and may this day be filled with the wonderful opportunity to trust the Lord afresh for even the most basic necessities of life. Find rest in His marvelous providential supply for you as He puts His sufficient grace on display; for our God shall"supply all our needs according to the riches in glory that are in Christ Jesus."
From the crucible of grace,
Steve
Psalm 103
When was the last time we really had to pray this humble prayer; asking the Lord to provide “daily bread” for our life? Seems almost insignificant in the times we live with a McDonald’s on almost every street corner and supermarkets overflowing. But the reality is that most of us are just one paycheck away before the well runs dry. The point of this prayer is simple and profound: we can never take God’s provision for granted; we are utterly dependent on Him for all things; and without Him, we can do nothing (cp, John 15:5; Phil. 4:13, 19). Everything that we have is from His gracious hand alone.
Listen to what A.W. Pink says about this truth: “By asking for our “daily bread” a tacit acknowledgment is made that “in Adam and by our own sins we have forfeited our right to all the outward blessings of this life, and deserve to be wholly deprived of them by God, and to have them cursed to us in the use of them; and that neither they of themselves are able to sustain us, nor we to merit, or by our own industry to procure them, but prone to desire, get and use them unlawfully; we pray for ourselves and others that they and we, waiting upon the providence of God from day to day, in the use of lawful means, may of His free gift, and as His Fatherly wisdom shall deem best, enjoy a competent portion of them, and have the same continued and blessed unto us in our holy and comfortable use of them and contentment in them” (Larger Cat.)
When I was seventeen years old, I went through one of the most difficult times a teenager could... I lost my Dad. I was holding my father, John Camp, when he went home to be with the Lord. The last thing I remember him saying to me was, "Steve, Jesus will never be all that you need, until Jesus is all you have!" Last words are lasting words. Those words became profound endearing truth to me from that day until now. Christ is sufficient for all things, isn't He? So if in His sweet sovereignty we find ourselves in the winepress of His love without the material comforts of this present life, may we always remember: Christ is our portion; He is our all in all; He is enough; He is the Bread of Heaven; He is our life, our peace, our joy, our hope; He is all we need. Amen?
Beloved, is the cubbard bare today? Are funds scarce and the resources for daily living almost gone? Then take heart and may this day be filled with the wonderful opportunity to trust the Lord afresh for even the most basic necessities of life. Find rest in His marvelous providential supply for you as He puts His sufficient grace on display; for our God shall"supply all our needs according to the riches in glory that are in Christ Jesus."
From the crucible of grace,
Steve
Psalm 103
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