The warmth, aroma, and nourishment made my attempts all worth the effort.
Jesus compared Scripture to the eating of bread, as we read in His own words:
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NASB)
So what can we learn from this comparison?
- Individually. Much the way we each eat bread, we need to absorb God’s Word for ourselves. No one can consume God’s Word on our behalf.
- Daily. We need nourishment each day to maintain strength, energy, and focus. To maintain a strong spiritual life, we need God’s Word in our hearts and minds on a daily basis.
- Health. Without daily nourishment from God’s Word, our faith will weaken. Scripture will become words of life as we consume and apply them to our lives each day.
The more I baked bread, the more I found myself wanting to bake bread. I remembered the peace and joy I experienced in mixing the ingredients. The softness and warmth of the dough in my hands. The mouth watering smells which came from the oven. The way the butter melted into the nooks and crannies of the slices. The more I remembered, the more delight I took in the baking.
“Read the Word. Consume the Word until it consumes you. Believe the Word. Act on the Word.”
(Smith Wigglesworth)
“Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16, NASB)
“How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
(Psalm 119:103, NASB)
And so it will be as we consume God’s Word – the Bread of Life.
Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay
Beautiful, Joanne. (And you're making me hungry for fresh-baked bread.) "Consume the Word until it consumes you." Amen.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I love baking bread! But over the past 15 years I have had to learn a new way of making bread due to my husband's celiac disease. I find it fits in perfectly with your wisdom here. Each day we must come to God for nourishment and sometimes what that looks like for us changes! We are individuals with specific needs for our spiritual health and God knows exactly what kind of bread we need on any given day and in every circumstance!!
ReplyDeleteOh, how this makes me want to bake bread! The butter, the smell - the taste! Sadly, we are going into the new year without gluten in our diet - and your post makes me want to eat some! You are so very right. I don't think I understood until I experienced it - that the more you read, the more you want to read, the more you understand because the more is revealed.I love the Wigglesworth quote - every sentence of it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words, Joanne! ♥
ReplyDeleteI never mastered making bread, but nothing beats the smell of bread baking or the taste of it fresh from the oven with butter. I love the applications you've drawn from Scripture.
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